The Choices We Made
by ironbutterfly25
Summary: The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving Victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.Gale/Katniss/Peeta,Gale/Annie EDITED
1. Chapter 1

I've been obsessing over Hunger Games for a few weeks now and after I was able to finish the books, I've been itching to write a fic about it but I was not able to find the time to do so. But now I did ^^

Anyway I hope my fellow Hunger Games fans will enjoy this fic. It mainly revolves around the relationships between Gale Hawthorne, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Annie Cresta. This is set around two years after the end of the war between the Capitol and the rebels.

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><p><strong>The Choices We Made<strong>

**Summary:** The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings:** Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

**Chapter One**

**Katniss POV**

I watch as Peeta paints from where I'm currently standing. He looks so calm and at peace. He looks so alive that even if I've just woken up from one of my nightmares, seeing him like this chases my fears away. My eyes are trained on his hand holding the paintbrush expertly. I cannot really make out what he is trying to paint at this point so I decided that it is better for me to go busy myself with something else. I turn to leave as quietly as I came to that room and make my way down the stairs.

It has been almost two years now since the rebellion. President Paylor is doing a good job and Panem is settling down quite well. Reporters do come around from time to time but thanks to Plutarch and the others they have learned to give us more space to recuperate. I do welcome a few questions occasionally when I find myself in unusually very good mood.

I guess I don't really have anything better to do but to hunt that's the only thing I can do that makes me feel I am still Katniss Everdeen. Also, I have this feeling that this day will be a very good day for hunting. I slip my hunting jacket on. Yes. It's still the one I used for so many years now; the old hunting jacket that belonged to my father once. I get in my hunting boots before rushing upstairs to grab my bow and sheath of arrows and I stop by Peeta's room to tell him I will be out hunting but I promise him I will not take long. He smiles warmly at me.

"You don't have to hurry to go home, Katniss. I'm not a child who needs a babysitter all the time. I want you to enjoy your time hunting. Besides that is the only thing you do that makes you feel like you are really yourself." Peeta says and I nod in agreement. I am always glad that he understands.

"I will make sure that I will return with good game. I just hope you can turn them to a good dinner as well," I say cheerfully. I run downstairs and out of my house located at the Victor's Village. The thought of visiting Haymitch crosses my mind for a while but I decided against it. He must be drunk and dozing off anyways. It seems to be a pretty short walk for me from my house to the torn down fence that once barred District 12 from the woods. Maybe it seems short now because… we are finally _free_. I can now hunt anytime I want to. No more hiding and sneaking. At moments like this, I can feel that happiness envelops my heart but I know I cannot and I can never be completely happy. There's just something missing in my life.

I move deeper into the woods and that's when I felt it. This is not really the first time I get this feeling. The more I breathe the fresh air here in the forest the heavier my chest feels. My eyes look at the trees around me then I focus them back on the very familiar path I always follow every time I hunt. I keep on walking. I spot a few rabbits and squirrels on my way but I refuse to make any move to shoot them down. My legs just keep moving, moving, and moving until I am looking at _**that **__**rock **__near__ the__ cliff__ side_… _**we **_used to sit on. I then imagine a sixteen year old dark-haired girl sitting next to an eighteen year old dark-haired boy. The knot in my stomach tightens and I need to look away. That girl no longer exists and so is the boy next to her. I let out the breath that I didn't notice I was holding. I look up at the fair sky. This is not the first time I went hunting. I've been hunting since I manage to gather my strength and crawl out of my house after almost going mad because of the events that happened in my life. And this is also not the first time I think about my life back then, my life before the Games, my life with Prim, _my __life __with __Gale_.

I've heard from Greasy Sae that he got a job in District 2. Haymitch told me he moved from District 2 to District 4 though I never get to know why exactly he moved there. I thought that it will be better if I know less about what he does because maybe it will make me forget him more. But I've been doing the exact opposite anyway. He's very involved with politics now. President Paylor seems to be too fond of him and sees him to be a very good soldier and official who can serve Panem wholeheartedly. I take a seat on _our_ rock. A small smile creeps up on my face as I notice the berries from the bushes nearby. I quickly move to gather some to snack on. I get lost in my own thoughts as I eat the berries one by one.

Gale never contacted me and I never tried to contact him even if I wanted to. I know I am a coward. I was the one who drove him away. I drove him away, the boy who has always been there for me and my family. If I owe Peeta my life, I owe Gale my life as well. Prim died from those bombs that prey over human's instincts. I knew I shouldn't put any blame on Gale. I knew it was wrong of me to do it. But I could not help myself, the grief and the pain made me so irrational. How could I just shut him out like that? Gale was the one who feed, protected, and saved my family in the times I cannot be there. It was not like he was the one who dropped those bombs on the children. It was all Coin's sick plan to kill me. Even if Gale never designed those bombs, Coin could have make use of other horrible weapons. She would do anything to get rid of me to ensure her seat of power once the rebellion was over. And she would still use Prim in order to effectively lure me out and kill the both of us. It was neither Gale's fault nor Beetee's. We were at war. I was just the one who was too immature and too weak… _All__ I__ want__ right__ now __is__ to__ have__ my __best __friend__ back._ I then wonder if it's already too late for us.

I soon feel tears running down my cheeks as an image of Gale smiling warmly at me flashed in my mind. I wipe my tears away hurriedly with my hands and take a deep breath to recompose myself. There is still time. One of these days I will try to reach him so we can start all over again. Energy surges through me as hope blossoms in my heart. I get off of the rock and proceed to hunt.

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><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

The sound of the door bell ringing catches Peeta Mellark's attention. He put his painting materials away and stands up from the stool he has been sitting on for maybe a whole hour now. He hurries down the stairs as he wipes his hands clean with a white cloth. Whoever is at the door seems to be getting impatient since he or she started ringing the doorbell like crazy. "I wonder who it is," is Peeta's thought as he swings the door open.

"They are probably making out you know. Seriously who takes this long to open the door?" Peeta now wishes he didn't have to witness Johanna Mason stating her speculation. Her long brown hair reaches past her shoulders now. It takes a while before she notices Peeta. "Oh there you are. I hope we aren't interrupting you guys." Johanna says with a teasing smile on her face.

"J-Johanna, this is really a surprise. You should have called so that we are able to prepare something." Peeta chooses not to comment on Johanna's earlier statements. Just then his eyes trails on the other people who are with Johanna. His blue eyes lock with familiar gray ones. Peeta is now more surprised and he tries his best not to look uncomfortable of the current situation presented to him.

"Hey… It's been awhile. I insisted on giving you guys a call but Johanna wanted to ahem… surprise you." It is none other than Gale Hawthorne. Peeta is having difficulties to form words. He is just staring at Gale who looks the same as ever. The baker saw him on the television a few times but for some reason Peeta thinks that Gale doesn't look the same on the television and in person. The baker will never say it out loud but he preferred Gale in the television screen because in that way… Katniss is out of the other man's reach.

"What's with the awkwardness of this talk?" Johanna sounds bored. "Can you at least invite us in? Annie and Finnick are tired from the trip." At the mention of two other names, Peeta snaps back to reality. He regards Annie Cresta-Odair who is carrying a year and a half old baby in her arms.

"Hey, Annie!" Peeta greets almost too enthusiastically but he can't help it. Annie and her child with the deceased Finnick Odair are two of the blessings after the war.

"Hey Peeta." Annie gives him a heartfelt smile. Her sea-green eyes sparkle in happiness she must be feeling upon meeting an old friend. Peeta walks over to her. His eyes then glue on the baby boy in Annie's arms. Innocent deep sea-green eyes look up at him.

"Hello there, little Finn." Peeta greets and holds the baby's hand. Little Finnick looks at him for a while before he scowls. The baby rips his arm out of Peeta's hold and proceeds to bury his face on his mother's chest. The little one seems to be irritated. "Awww he doesn't like me." Peeta scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's because you aren't inviting us in. Finnick dislikes you now because of your lack of hospitality," Johanna says. Peeta wants to retort but decided not to.

"Come on in, guys. I'll prepare something for you." Peeta says and leads his guests in the house. Gale and Annie take a seat on the couch while Johanna shamelessly walks herself into the kitchen and proceeds to raid the fridge.

"I'm really glad to see you guys. But really if you gave a call I could have prepared something special for all of you," Peeta says.

"It's alright. You don't have to bother yourself too much. We are the ones who came without warning," Gale says then silence follows their exchange.

"Dada!" Blue eyes snap to look at the little auburn-haired baby reaching out to Gale. Little Finnick started throwing a fit when Gale hesitated to get him from Annie. It doesn't take long before he started crying his lungs out. The dark-haired man gets the boy in his arms and started to coo him. Finnick stops crying soon enough. Peeta just stares while Annie runs her fingers on her child's soft locks.

"Behave yourself, Finn." She whispers to him kindly. The baby just giggles as he rests his head on Gale's shoulder in contentment.

"He thinks I'm his father. It's alright since he's still young. We cannot really explain and make him understand at this age that I am not his Dad," Gale explains as he runs a hand on the child's small back to soothe him.

"Yeah…Nothing's wrong with that. He needs a father and you're doing a really good job," Peeta says with reassurance. He turns to leave for the kitchen.

"Where's… Where's Katniss?" Gale hesitated to ask Peeta but he ended up asking anyway.

"She's out hunting. She will be back soon enough," Peeta replies before completely disappearing into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry." Gale looks at Annie. The guilt and sadness are evident in her eyes. "I knew you do not want to come here. But I miss Katniss," Annie says. During her pregnancy, she and Katniss become really good friends. Katniss visited Annie when Finnick was born but the girl seemed to stop dropping by in District 4 after some time.

"Don't be. There's no need for you to be sorry. We will have to meet sooner or later anyway. And I might be the reason why she just stopped by visiting you in District Four," Gale says. He shifts Finnick in his arms. The little child has fallen asleep.

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><p>The rest of the afternoon is spent catching up with each other's lives. Peeta prepared drinks and cookies for his guests. Little Finnick woke up some time during the chat to get his hands on a cookie. But soon enough he grew bored of doing nothing but just sitting on Gale's lap and gnawing on cookies. He started writhing in Gale's arms. Obviously, he wants to explore the new house he is in.<p>

"I'll take him outside for a while," Gale declares carrying Finnick with him out of the house. He leaves the three victors to talk about the current happenings in their lives. Gale sits on the steps in front of the door. He set Finnick on his feet and the boy is more than delighted to test his walking. He still wobbles from time to time but he can walk on his own fairly now. Gale smiles proudly. Finnick might not be his own son but he did spend his time aiding Finnick to walk. It kind of feela like an achievement for him now that the boy can walk steadily without any aid. He brings out a ball and let Finnick play with it. Soon the skies become dark as night falls. "Come here, boy. It's getting chilly out here. Your mom won't like it if you catch a cold," Gale says as he gathers the boy in his arms and then proceeds to throw him in the air. Little Finnick laughs. His sea-green eyes sparkle in pure delight. Gale is enjoying throwing the child in the air and catching him that he didn't notice the arrival of Katniss Everdeen.

"Gale…?" He almost failed to catch Finnick when he heard _her_ voice. Gray eyes clash with same gray ones. Suddenly the world seems so small and suffocating for the both of them. Little Finnick Odair continues to giggle happily as he looks at Gale and Katniss obliviously; completely unaware of the tension that surrounds his environment.

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><p>That's it for the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading and review please. Sorry for my grammatical errors. English is not my first language. Anyway I do hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. ^_^ <strong>I<strong>** edited ****this ****a ****bit**.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Choices We Made**

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:**Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings:**Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:**Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**Katniss' POV**

I make my way back to my house at Victor's Village. I take my time going there, walking slowly. I adjust my hold on my game bag. Now that I think about it, I guess I managed to get a lot of games today. I don't think Peeta and I will be able to consume these. Even if Haymitch joins us for dinner, there will still be a lot of leftovers. I'm already looking forward to some roasted turkey for dinner. My stomach grumbles a little at the thought and I notice that I picked up my pace.

Soon enough I'm able to see my house at a distance. My walk slowly turns into a jog. It has been a good day and I'm just looking forward to a good dinner so much. Maybe I'm just quite tired and hungry from my hunting trip. Just then I noticed a familiar dark haired man in front of my house playing with a child. My excited jogs turn into shaky steps. It… cannot really be _him_. I… I was just thinking about how long I haven't seen _him_ this early afternoon. I was just thinking about how I want to apologize to _him_. I was just thinking about if he can return to me again as my best friend. I… I… I was just thinking about if we can be _Gale__ and__ Katniss_ again. Before I realize it, I'm standing a few good feet in front of him and a familiar looking child. My breath is caught in my throat and I struggle for words. _He_… _He__ looks __happy_. And suddenly there is this fear that his smile will fade away once he sees me. I have this urge to run and hide. But who am I trying to fool by doing that? I take a deep breath as my eyes take in his shiny dark hair and sparkling gray eyes.

"Gale…?" I feel that it didn't sound right. I think I sounded like I doubt that it was him standing in front of my house. I can recognize Gale Hawthorne anywhere! I think that saying a few more words will help me ease the situation but the moment his eyes lock on mine; I'm just able to stand there like a gaping fish. He is still as handsome as ever. I always knew he is attractive but maybe after being apart for quite some time made me… attracted to him even more or maybe I just… I just… I just miss him… I just miss him so badly.

"Katniss…" I wince. I can't help it. He sounded so…formal… so drawn back as if he was talking to a stranger. I take in steady breaths but the more I try to calm myself down, the more my heart beats faster.

"H-Hey… T-This is… This is such a s-surprise…" I don't know if he even heard me right or maybe he didn't hear me at all. I'm stuttering and even I myself am having trouble hearing my own words because they come out of my mouth so softly. I feel my legs moving towards him. He is just a few feet away but it feels like he will disappear if I don't approach him now. "Gale… I…" The door behind him suddenly opens and I instantly lose my chance to talk to Gale upon seeing that it is none other than Peeta at the door.

**Normal POV**

"Katniss, you're back!" Peeta sounded so relieved upon seeing Katniss. But most of relief comes from the fact that he managed to interrupt her conversation with Gale. He can't help it but to feel somewhat threatened that Gale is here. He watches Katniss' stiff movements as she awkwardly shifts her game bag on her shoulder. He walks towards her. "Let me carry that," he says and got the heavy game bag from Katniss. "We have guests. Johanna, Annie, and… Gale are here with little Finnick." Peeta sounded so happy it almost seems like he is faking it. And he is faking it.

"Ah yeah…" Katniss looks out of it. She looks pale and exhausted.

"Let's get inside guys. I'll prepare dinner," Peeta says and walks back into the house. Katniss watches Gale follow Peeta into the house. She watches him hand Finnick to Annie. She walks in after him and thanks to her incredible luck she trips on her own feet.

"Katniss, are you alright?" It took a while before she registers the fact that she almost hit the floor face first if it wasn't for Gale's arms winding around her in time to prevent her from falling. She looks at his face, searching his eyes. A lot of questions are swimming in her head. She wants to ask him a lot of things. "Hey." His deep voice seems to send vibrations that shake her body.

"Yeah…" She almost sounded dreamy. Everything seems to be spinning. She clutches onto the sleeves of Gale's dark blue long-sleeved shirt. "Gale… I…" The spinning stopped when Peeta suddenly scoops her up in his arms.

"She must be really tired. Well I just looked into her game bag. She caught a lot of game. She must have exerted herself," Peeta says trying to sound as if everything was okay and normal as he placed Katniss on the couch. He gives her a glass of water and that seemes to do the trick. Katniss is able to focus her eyes again. She sees Gale looking at her. He is looking at her with sad eyes that make her heart ache.

"I'm going out for a while," Gale says in a strained voice before walking out of the house. After a few minutes Johanna wolf-whistles at Katniss.

"Way to go, girl on fire. That must be the most awkward moment I saw in my life. Ha!" The victor from District 7 seems to be enjoying the events that have just transpired before them.

"Oh Johanna…" Katniss gives her a weak smile. "I… I was… I was just tired," she reasons out and Johanna just shrugs.

"There she goes again. Did people tell you that you suck so much… as in so much in lying?" Katniss don't know why exactly but she laughs a little. Maybe it's because she knows there is no point in trying to hide her feelings from them especially from Johanna's watchful eyes and yet she still tried.

"I really hope you are alright, Katniss." Annie looks at her worriedly. Katniss smiles warmly at her.

"I just had a long day, Annie. And what more can I say… I'm glad seeing you guys." Katniss moves to where Annie is sitting and gives the girl a warm hug. Gray eyes look down at the child on Annie's lap who is looking at her curiously. "Hey there, Finnick Odair." Katniss kneels on the floor so she is in level with Finnick. She strokes the boy's smooth cheek with a hand gently. "Aren't you an exact copy of your father?" Deep sea-green eyes just stare back at her. Sadness fills Katniss' eyes as she remembers Finnick Odair who is the father of this precious child in front of her. The man who did a lot of things for her. The man who died because of her. Katniss bites her lower lip. "I'm Katniss, Finn." She forces out a smile even if she feels like crying already. This child just resembles Finnick so much that it pains her that because of her impulsiveness two years ago, Finn lost his father… never being able to meet the great man his father was.

"Cat!" For a moment they all thought that little Finnick is trying to say Katniss' name. But then he started pointing at the muddy yellow-colored cat. "Cat! Cat!" He says happily and Buttercup, Prim's cat, just sits there in front of them. Katniss pats the boy's head gently.

"Intelligent kid," she says before kissing the top of little Finnick's head. She swears in her mind that she will watch over this child and see him grow into a great man just like his late father. "I'll go get change and then… we have a lot of things to talk about," Katniss says. Her face has already brightened up. Annie and Johanna nod and watch the huntress run up the stairs to take a quick shower. Johanna and Annie look at each other.

"I knew it. This is not a good idea," Johanna says.

"But… Gale always looks sad… I know he wants to see Katniss," Annie reasons out.

"I understand you, Annie. But these love problems they are having are starting to frustrate me as well," Johanna says and flops down on the opposite couch. Annie just looks down at her child with a small smile.

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><p>Gale wanders aimlessly in the streets of District 12. He walks with his head lying low and hands shoved into his pockets. He kicks an unsuspecting rock out of his way and let out a sigh.<p>

"Look at what we've got here. I thought I just got myself dead drunk again that I'm starting to see things… I mean people." Gale's gray eyes look up at the drunken man in his forties leaning on a lamp post. It is none other than Haymitch Abernathy. He runs a hand through his messy curly dark hair as his gray eyes scrutinized the young man before him. "I never imagined seeing you here at _our__ home_ again you know. It kind of came as a shock." Haymitch takes a drink from his bottle. Gale just watches him carefully. The older man looks like he is about to fall over anytime soon. "I knew you kind of got cowardly two years ago and chose to stay in a far off district so that you can avoid seeing the girl on fire." A spark of anger flashes in Gale's eyes because of the older man's words.

"I… I'm not hiding from her… I… I was just giving her space." Gale explains and after he has gotten the words out he started to question himself why he is even discussing this with drunken Haymitch of all people.

"So what are you here for? I was thinking you will… you know give her space until the end of the world maybe and that kind of translates to never seeing her again." Haymitch wipes his lips with his sleeve.

"I don't even know why I'm talking to you." Gale is so sure he doesn't want to hear any more of Haymitch's words.

"What are you getting so worked up and defensive with?" Haymitch then laughs before he walks over to where Gale is standing. He pats the young man's back. "It's time for dinner kid. Let's head back. You looked like a sore loser a while ago. It's good to see you still have that fire in you," Haymitch says and starts walking back to Victor's Village. Gale follows him shortly.

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><p>"Hey there, ladies!" Haymitch greets Annie, Johanna, and Katniss who are enjoying their time together in the living room.<p>

"If it isn't you Haymitch. And is it really okay for me not to be surprised that you are actually drunk?" Johanna greets him back. Katniss let out a short laugh.

"You're just in time for dinner," Katniss says and sees Gale emerging from behind Haymitch. "Gale… Come on. Let's get on with that dinner," Katniss tries her best to act like herself but she knows herself that she is totally failing it.

"Hey there, Finnick, my boy!" Haymitch tries to get the child from Katniss' arms but she moves Finn away from the old man. "What are you doing, Katniss?" Haymitch glares at her.

"We will all appreciate it if you choose to play with Finnick once you have yourself showered and cleaned up," Katniss says. Haymitch then sniffs himself for a while and makes a face. They all laugh while Finnick drinks from his baby bottle quietly watching the people around him. Dinner is going on smoothly until Johanna decided that it will be fun to bring awkwardness on the table again.

"Have you guys decided on a date yet?" Her brown eyes look at Peeta and Katniss who are sitting across from her. The two look clueless on what she is talking about. "Seriously guys… I'm asking about when you plan to get married," she asks. There is a hint of excitement in her voice. Awkward silence ensues except for Finnick's constant baby babbles.

"We… W-We haven't thought about that. We… We are alright like this for a while," Katniss says and takes a quick glance at Gale. At some point during dinner, she has given Finnick back to Annie. She feels disappointment creeping in her heart upon seeing Gale feeding Finnick with little bites of food. He looks like he doesn't care about if she is getting married to Peeta or not.

"Oh… I see." Johanna decided to drop it when she catches the hard look Haymitch is giving her.

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><p>After dinner, Haymitch doesn't stay long. He goes back to his house to sober himself up. Johanna watches some television programs with Peeta. Annie brings Finnick upstairs into the room they will be staying at to put him to sleep. Katniss busies herself with washing the dishes. Just then a hand invades her field of vision and picks up a washed plate. She looks up to see Gale drying the plates she finished washing with a clean cloth. She swallows.<p>

"W-What are you doing?" She knows that her voice shake as she struggles to get her words out.

"I'm drying the plates," Gale states calmly.

"Well… W-Well… Yes I know you are drying them. I'm asking because you shouldn't be doing that!" Katniss snaps at him.

"Why?" He asks softly.

"Because you are a guest. Drop that." She takes a deep breath and refuses to look at his face. She then hears the sound of a plate shattering into pieces. She almost jumps in surprise. She turns to look at Gale with a bewildered look on her face. _"__What__ are__ you __doing?__"_ She doesn't really sound angry at him. She is just merely confused of his actions.

"You said I drop it." Gale looks deep into her eyes.

"Are you fucking with me, Gale?" Now she is getting annoyed.

"No I'm trying to talk," he says seriously.

"Well I think this is not a good conversation starter." She rolls her eyes at him. She then washes her hands clean. She doesn't like the idea of washing the dishes with him. She wipes her hands dry on a cloth and turns to walk out of the kitchen when he grabs her by the arm.

"I said I want to talk." She looks at him and feels her heart aching again. She started to have trouble breathing again.

"I… Gale… I want to…" She sees an image of her little sister, Prim, being consumed by the flames. Her eyes widen and her head aches. "No… I…" She pushes Gale away gently.

"Katniss, please." Gale holds her hand and squeezes it. She likes the warmth of his hand but the pounding in her head makes it hard for her to think straight.

"Is there something wrong here? We… We kind of heard a plate breaking," Peeta says from the doorway. Gale let Katniss' hand go upon seeing him.

"Woah… we thought you started throwing the dishes at each other," Johanna says with a smirk on her face.

"I dropped it. Sorry." Gale walks back to the sink to continue washing the dishes.

"You don't have to do that," Peeta says but Gale looks like no one can stop him from washing the dishes.

"I'm heading to bed," Katniss says and excuses herself.

"What? I thought we will have some more girly talk," Johanna laughs a little.

"Not funny, Johanna. You know we don't talk about girly things," Katniss says with a small smile on her face as she makes her way up the stairs.

"Well it can be nice for a change you know!" Johanna says before Katniss completely disappeared from her view. She then turns to the two men in the kitchen. "You know what. I just thought of this brilliant idea. Why don't I just hook up with one of you guys?" She really finds everything amusing and funny.

"Did you hit your head, Johanna?" Peeta asks as he tries to understand how her brain works.

"A little," She says sticking her tongue out at him as she makes her way to Gale who is busy with the dishes. "Don't you think it's a good idea, pretty boy? It will be easier for Katniss." She places her hand on his shoulder.

"Johanna, stop it." Peeta pleads. The girl just ignores him.

"Stop those crazy ideas Johanna before I put you into water." Johanna flinches at the thought. She can take showers now after being traumatized from her torture by water and electrocution from the Capitol.

"Oh come on. We've gotten really close for you not to do that," She says this with such confidence in her tone and she then gasps in shock when Gale splashes water directly on her face. "The fuck you're doing, Hawthorne!" Johanna can't believe it. She wipes the water out of her eyes and looks at Gale who is grinning mischievously at her.

"You were saying?" Gale enjoys the angered expression on Johanna Mason's face. Peeta smileds at the scene before him.

"Whatever. Go mop around the place. I won't attend your funeral once you commit suicide because of your broken heart!" Johanna stomps out of the kitchen. Gale turns to Peeta.

"She's exaggerating," He says.

"Yeah… Are you guys always like this?" Peeta asks as he opens the fridge to bring out bottles of beer. Gale juts shrugs.

"We get along pretty well," Gale says.

"Let's have a drink after you're done with that." Peeta suggests and Gale gives him a small smile.

"Sure."

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><p>Katniss could hear the conversations from downstairs. She didn't really go into her room. She just stayed by the stairs curious on what Gale would say about Johanna's crazy proposal.<p>

"Will I really be better off if one of them… if Gale will be with someone else?" She whispers to herself. She imagines him happy with some other girl. She even imagines the girl to be Johanna Mason considering how good they get along now. She can then imagine herself shooting Johanna dead with one of her arrows. She shuts her eyes tightly closed before she buries her face in her hands. "You are a helpless and selfish girl Katniss Everdeen. You're going to burn in hell, girl on fire," She says to herself before she makes her way into her room, locking herself up. She is terrified of her thoughts.

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><p><strong>Author<strong>**'****s**** Notes:** That's it for Chapter 2! Please do read and review ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**The Choices We Made**

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Gale eyes Johanna as she downs the beer from her fourth bottle. He is not even halfway on his second bottle but this woman from District 7 drinks as if beer is just natural drinking water. Her chocolate-colored eyes snap at him. She raises an eyebrow when he just continues to stare at her. "What's with that dazed look, pretty boy? I hope you are not imagining me getting drunk soon so you can take advantage of me." Gale groans as he places a palm on his face.

"Can you stop assuming things like that? It's kind of disturbing… like seriously," Gale says in a tone that sounds that he is already fed up of her words. Johanna laughs.

"Hey, Annie! Don't drink so much. I don't know what pretty boy here will do once he finds you passed out. You never know what desperate people can do." Johanna pushes on. Gale just shakes his head. Annie laughs a little.

"Gale is not like that, Johanna." Annie sounds so kind and pure-hearted that Johanna decided to stop teasing Gale. They hear the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs.

"Looks like she's already asleep," Peeta informs them. He went upstairs to try and get Katniss to join their little fun.

"Poor Katniss. She must be really tired… Or maybe I shouldn't really have come…" Annie gets this distant look on her face as her hand absentmindedly plays with the tips of her long dark hair. "Maybe Finn seems to haunt her…" She suddenly has this scared look in her eyes and she puts her hands on her ears like she is trying desperately to block something out.

"Hey, Annie. Snap out of it," Johanna says. Her tone commanding but she is obviously worried about her friend.

"If only Finnick returned alive…" Annie whispers. Johanna moves closer to her and tries to make Annie stop covering her ears.

"I said snap out of it!" Johanna says worriedly. Peeta cannot so anything but to stand there. He doesn't really have any idea on what he can do at the moment anyway. Gale moves close to Annie and pulls her against him.

"Annie, snap out of it," He whispers to her softly as he strokes her hair gently. "Don't go there… We are here. Come back to us." He kisses her hair. Annie's hands fall on her lap. She takes a deep breath before smiling up at Gale.

"I'm sorry," She apologizes realizing that she must have zoned out again. Gale just smiles at her before he pats her head.

"You'll be fine. We will always be here," He says kindly. The four of them relax. After about half an hour of talking about random stuffs, Annie excuses herself. She says that she will go to bed with her son. That leaves Johanna with Peeta and Gale. Johanna is getting pretty drunk now.

"If I knew she can drink like this, I have gotten Haymitch to come over," Peeta says.

"I just hope she doesn't start stripping," Gale says.

"Oh I think there will be a high possibility she will. She even strips in front of people even if she's sober." Peeta laughs a little at the memory of Johanna stripping her clothes off in the elevator back at the Training Center before the Third Quarter Quell.

"Then I gotta make sure I won't be anywhere near her once she wakes up," Gale says and finishes up his fourth bottle of beer. He rests his head on the back of the couch for a while finding the ceiling suddenly interesting for him. "How long have you been living with Katniss?" He is kind of sure the alcohol is the one that makes him able to ask such questions.

"A whole year maybe," Peeta replies casually. Gale looks at him.

"So that kind of makes your house here a waste," The dark haired man says.

"Not really. I still occupy it but I always sleep here." Gale wants to ask if he sleeps in the same room… the same bed as Katniss but he guessed that he is still sober enough not to ask such a private question.

"Are you just looking after Annie? Or…" Peeta trails off. He can't really find the right words to say to get his thoughts across but Gale seems to understand anyway.

"I once visited her in District 4. I owe Finnick. He sacrificed himself not just for Katniss but for us as well. I thought that checking up on his wife and son is the least I can do for him. I just seem to end up enjoying their company. You know… Johanna, Annie, and Finnick. The child become too fond of me as well and I've always liked kids so the next thing I knew I found myself getting a house close to their place at District 4 so I can drop by to check on Annie and Finnick from time to time." Gale is not surprised how he can be so open to Peeta Mellark. Well at the first place, the guy did not do anything against him so he wants to try and be in good terms with him as much as possible. Even if it kind of feels fake at times since it is really hard to be nice and cozy with your so called rival in love. Gale tries to think of something to ask Peeta but all the questions he can think of revolves around Katniss so he decided to let the silence consume them for a while.

"I bet Finnick appreciates it wherever he is now," Peeta breaks the silence and notices Johanna looking at them with drowsy eyes.

"You guys… You guys are actually talking," She points out in a drunken way and she sounded like it is some kind of a miracle to have Gale and Peeta talk to each other normally. She then laughs then shaking her head. "I must be drunk." She proceeds to mess her already messy brown hair more as she tries to find her slippers.

"You are drunk," Gale says with a smile.

"Oh yeah… Oh yeah… So you can tell Gale Hawthorne." Johanna gets her hands on her slippers that somehow managed to get under the couch. She straightens herself up and tries not to wobble when she takes a few steps away from the guys. "You know what… I'm getting some sleep. Seriously… you two…" She looks at Gale then at Peeta before making a confused face. "You two were talking… I must be really… really… really drunk. So I might as well get the hell out of here before you two do something that is worse than talking to each other normally." Johanna shakes her head and grabs the railing on the stairs to aid her way up.

"Make sure you don't trip because we cannot imagine what you will start doing or saying if you hit your head more," Gale says a smile still etched on his face.

"Fuck yourself, Gale!" Johanna says loudly from the top of the stairs. Gale just shakes his head in disapproval of Johanna's loose tongue.

"Terrifying woman," he says softly to no one in particular.

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><p>Time goes by. Peeta dozes off on the couch while Gale makes himself some coffee. After he enjoyed his coffee, he decided to go outside. He wants to go to the forest. Even though he knows it is not really safe to go there considering the fact that he doesn't have any more weapons.<p>

It seems like a long silent walk but it calms him. The wind blows gently against him. He looks up to see the big full moon lighting up the whole place with its cool and soft light. He stops walking for a moment once he reached the torn down fence. Looking at the fence makes him feel like he's been away for ages. He started to hesitate. He even thought that he might lose his way in the forest. After a few more minutes of considering his options, he almost wanted to hit his own head for getting intimidated by the forest he had grown attached to so much.

He takes a step forward and then another step. Soon he finds himself walking deeper and deeper into the forest. The owls watch him closely with their eerie eyes. There is not much movement in the forest. Most of the animals are surely resting anyway. The moon serves as his perfect guide so that he won't lose his way. He keeps walking and soon enough he reaches his destination. He runs his hand on the surface of the rock he used to sit on with Katniss whenever they hunt. He spots the bushes heavy with berries. He smiles to himself as he proceeds to gather berries for him to eat before he takes a seat on the rock.

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><p><strong>Gale's POV<strong>

I cherish the feeling of the berry juice bursting in my mouth. They are still as delicious as I remember them to be. I look up at the twinkling stars. They are so beautiful. I let out a sigh as I remember a few nights alone with Katniss here at this same exact place. We end up going back here whenever we get trapped in the forest because the fence was up and running with deadly electricity. We were not anything close to intimate back at those times but now that I consider how close we were back then, I kind of wish that I never kissed her. Never confessed my feelings for her. Never done anything that cost us the precious friendship we once had.

I shake my head trying to get rid of the thoughts currently invading my mind. I get off of the rock to lie down on the soft grass, arms folded behind my head. I look up at the stars. The wind feels good against my skin. It is neither too warm nor too cold tonight which I think is perfect. I take in the fresh air and I cannot help it but to feel the warm feeling spreading all over my body because I know that this is home. _I__ am__ home_. And I think that it will be great if I can just spend the night here.

I've spent the nights in the past two years sleeping in an environment that provided a lot of security and yet I never seemed to feel accustomed to the places I've been staying in. The house given to me by President Paylor in District 2 is quite big. It is well-furnished and actually I thought that it is too big for me and my family when I first laid my eyes on it. It is even complete with a few maids to serve us. I found it unnecessary to have around three maids but I didn't think that it will be good if I fire them so I just let them stay. The head maid is a little bit older than my mother and she tends to my younger siblings with the utmost care. My job as a military official in District 2 is hard but I like it since it helps a lot in making me take my mind off of things I don't really want to think about much like District 12 and how my three younger siblings had been whining about how much they want to go back there or Katniss or Prim. I refuse to think about these things much because I honestly cannot handle them well enough.

When I finally moved in to District 4, I was taken by the view. It was really nice to wake up with the bright sun rays filling my room and the gentle sea breeze caressing me gently. The sea is just breathtaking. My family stayed in District 2. Rory, Vick, and Posy are able to study well there. They made it a habit to drop by my place in District 4 every weekend which is great. My mother enjoys the sudden change of our life. We are, after all, an example of people who were from rugs to riches. She still does our laundry anyway. She says it makes her feel like herself. I also usually have business trips to the Capitol. So I was provided with an apartment there. My fellow military officials often set me up in dates. The thought of trying to love another woman have crossed my mind several times but whenever I try I always end up calling out Katniss' name and seeing her face. I decided I do not want to hurt another person's feelings again so I stop trying to love another woman for the time being. I just focus my attention on my work and on my current closest friends, Johanna and Annie. Little Finnick brings some more joy in my incomplete and sad life.

I smile and think that I should be happy for the things I have for now. I close my eyes and slowly feel myself drifting off to sleep. Just when I thought that I can sleep here in peace, I hear rustles from the bushes. My hunter instincts make me jump on my feet and use my eyes to search of an attacker. A squirrel jumps out of the bushes. I let out the breath I was holding as I relax myself. I almost laugh when the realization dawned on me that no matter how good my instincts are, if ever it was a bear or some kind of predator, I am currently defenseless. I stretch my limbs out before leaving _our_ special place.

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><p>I want some sleep but I don't feel like going back to <em>Katniss <em>_and__… __Peeta__'__s__ house_. Then I remember that little cabin by the lake. I decided that it will be great if I can spend the night there. Surely no one is occupying that place since Katniss and I are just the ones who knows about it and I doubt the people who returned here from District 13 will even bother to go there. They have nothing to relive there anyway. No good memories. That place just served as our refuge while the Capitol was bombing our home down into nothingness.

I hurry myself on my way there. It does not take long before I'm able to catch the glimpse of the sparkling water of the lake. As I get nearer and nearer to it, I swear I can feel this urge to take a swim. The water just looks so inviting and I am… _alone_. I think that it will be a great place to rejuvenate myself. I stand in front of the lake. The lake where in Katniss and I used to fish. The lake where in Katniss and I used to swim. The lake where Katniss and I used to fool around in with each other. _The __lake__ she__ and__ I__ used__ to_… My mind trails off. There's no really use of thinking about what used to be.

I kick a small stone and watch it roll its way into the water. It is all in the past now. I take a seat on the sandy and rocky shore watching the calm waters when I notice a silhouette from a distance. I started to wonder who will take a swim at a time like this. I kind of feel annoyed at the thought that some stranger is in this place which I hold dear to me. But this forest is no longer ours. It is now open for everyone.

I decided to ignore whoever that person is. He or she will probably not notice me anyway. I gather a few stones in my hand and started to throw them one by one to the water making them skip a few times before sinking completely into the water. I guess I won't be able to take a swim since there is already someone here. After a few moments I look back at the figure taking a dip in the waters. I stand up, my curiosity getting the best of me. I slip into the trees to hide myself as I go on a little quest of discovering who this person is taking a swim leisurely in this lake. Even if the moon provides a bright enough light, it does very little to help me trying to recognize the person in the water.

I give up and just lean on a random tree looking at nothing in particular. I'm in front of the figure but the distance will not really make either of us that noticeable. I get a berry out of my pocket and chew on it lazily. I then take notice of the sound of someone making his way out of the water… in a very hurried way as if he or she is being chased by something. I look at the figure who is supposed to be far away from me. He or she is now getting closer and closer to the shore and once that person set foot there he or she will see me. I decided this is the best time to leave. I push myself off of the tree and turn to walk away.

"Who's there? Who are you? What are you doing here?" I stiffen at the sound of _her_ voice. This is the second time today that she set me off just by the sound her voice.

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><p><strong>Katniss POV<strong>

"Katniss?" It is none other than Gale. My hold on my bow and arrow loosens as he emerges from the shadows. I thought it was some spy sent by whoever who still wants me dead. The look of surprise is evident on his handsome face. I must say that the soft light which is provided by the moon illuminates his face perfectly. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I'm still kind of mad at him for his little stunt in the kitchen a while ago. Wait, I thought he is drinking with Peeta and Johanna back in the house. Did he notice me sneaking out of the house and followed me here? How long has he been watching me like some kind of pervert hiding in the shadows?

"Why are you here?" I ask as I lower my bow and arrow before I place them back on their place near my dry clothes. He is just staring at me. Maybe it is because of my lack of clothing. I am, after all, just in a pair of matching black bra and underwear. I suddenly feel self-conscious. My body does not look anywhere close to desirable considering the scars that occupy my skin in many places. He seems to notice my discomfort so he looks away.

"I just felt like coming here. I thought of sleeping in the cabin," He explains calmly. I know it is not entirely easy for him to talk to me but I still find it to be amazing how he can keep himself from stuttering. I know I have no reason to be annoyed but I somehow got annoyed by his reply. What does he mean by that? My house is too suffocating for him? Or he just couldn't stand the thought of staying under the same roof as me?

"Well sorry if my humble house does not make you comfortable, _General_ Hawthorne." Okay I don't really know where this feeling came from but I am now sure that I have a damaged head because I can't explain the reason why I'm picking a fight with him. I see his dark brows knit together.

"What are you saying Katniss? I just want to see the forest," he says and I turn my back on him.

"Go back," I say and started to walk back into the water. I know he will not let this chance pass. He will want to talk to me here… It's not like I don't want to talk to him… I… I'm not ready yet. I haven't gathered my thoughts. "I would like some time alone," I add and considering the fact that he is not really the type to push things so I'm expecting him to walk back to the house and leave me alone. But when I hear someone getting into the water, I know that the unexpected happened. He's going to push things and talk to me. I take a dive into the water and try to get as far as I can get from Gale.

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><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

"Katniss!" Gale gets in the water and swims towards Katniss but she dives into the water making it hard for him to see her. He figured that she needs to surface sometime soon to get some air. And that she did. She breaks the surface of the water gasping for breath. "Katniss!" He started making his way to her again. She turns to look at him. Conflicting emotions flash in her gray eyes.

"What are you doing? Go back! You'll catch a cold!" She says noting that he is swimming with his clothes on. But he seems to care less about getting a cold. She keeps on walking away from him.

"I want to talk alright?" Gale says in a pleading tone but Katniss kept on moving away from him anyway.

"Why won't he go away? Not yet… Not now… Please Gale, just go," is what going on in Katniss' head. She doesn't expect the sudden dip in the water. The next step she took, her foot doesn't feel any ground and all she did is manage to let out a yelp as she slips into the deeper part of the lake. She vaguely registered Gale's voice calling out her name.

Arms wrap around Katniss' body. She thought that she got caught in the weeds and she violently struggles to break free. She keeps on struggling even after Gale brought her back on the surface. "Let me go!" She accidentally claws him on the face and elbows him several times during her violent fit. Gale endures the pain and refuses to let her go. It takes a while before she realized he just saved her yet again. She calms down. She stares on his clothed chest not blinking. She watches the rise and fall of his chest and she is sure she can feel the loud thumping of his heart. She swallows as her thoughts seem to organize themselves properly now.

"Did you calm down now?" His voice sounds cold. She just gives him a small nod. She is afraid to look at his face since she knows her actions are unreasonable. She is acting immaturely again. "Good," he says as he releases her. Her mind registers the sudden coldness that overtook her body now that he has moved away from her. She can't do anything but just look at his retreating back.

"Gale." She calls out softly as she slowly follows him towards the shore. He doesn't make any move of trying to talk to her or whatever; he just keeps on walking away. Fear creeps in her heart. "Gale!" She calls out to him clearly now. He gets back on land and continues to move away from the lake and her. "Hey Gale!... W-Wait! It's not-" She stops talking when he stops walking.

He turns to face her. She winces upon seeing the scratches and bruise on his face. "I understand. You don't want me anywhere near you. I get it alright? You don't have to say it on my face again." He resumes on walking away from her. Katniss hurries herself to get out of the water.

"Gale! Wait! Please!... I…" She runs after him and she just have to trip on a rock. She groans in pain as sharp rocks scrape her knees and shin but this little pain won't be stopping her. She gets back up on her unsteady legs and despite of the pain she runs after him. "Gale!" She calls out for him. Gale's face holds conflicting emotions. He wants to simply turn and just embrace her. But he is also too afraid of the possibility that she will push him away again. They are both not ready. "Gale…" She sounds desperate now. Katniss looks in pain. Well her bleeding knees aren't helping her at all. He faces her one more time.

"Katniss… I'm… I'm giving you more time and space okay? I understand," he said and stands there for a while trying to regain his normal breathing. He looks like he is angry but at the same time he looks like he is about to cry as well. He takes a deep breath. "I'm going back," He informs her hoping she will drop the useless chase and turns away from her limping form again.

Katniss won't have any of that. She gathers all her strength and pushes the pain to the farthest part of her mind. She run as fast as her legs can withstand it and when she collides against his hard body, she clutches on his shirt tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm s-sorry. I-I'm sorry. I'm sor– I'm sor – ry…" She started to choke on her sobs. Gale feels like someone is clutching his heart tightly. Katniss is clinging onto him like a little child now. Just like how Posy will cling onto him whenever he has to go and she doesn't want him to leave yet or maybe it is even more intense than that. "G–ale… Ga– le… S–orry…" He places his hands over hers that are clutching the front of his shirt so tightly it looks like she will rip his shirt off soon enough. Her hold on him tightens, afraid that he will pry her hands off of him. "D–on't please… Don't g-go." She is having trouble breathing. He holds her hands and squeezes them to tell her that he won't go. "Gale…" He feels her body trembling against his as her sobs shake her body more. She must be thinking that he will still be leaving that's why she is clinging onto him like this. He turns his neck a little so that she will be able to hear him clear enough.

"I'm not going anywhere, Catnip."

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><p><strong>Author<strong>**'****s**** Notes:** Done with Chapter 3~ this must be the longest chapter I've written for quite a while. I'm really enjoying writing this so I hope you guys enjoy reading the story as well. I'm really sorry for the grammatical errors ^^; Thank you for reading and please review! Thank you ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapters. I really appreciate the reviews. I hope you guys will continue reading and reviewing ^_^

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><p><strong>The Choices We Made<strong>

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

**Chapter Four**

_It was just one of the days they spent together in the forbidden forest of District 12. In that particular day, the weather was extremely hot and if you did not have any important reasons to go out in the wild, surely you will just prefer to lie around and rest. But some people cannot really do that especially if they have families they desperately need to feed._

_In the middle of the forest, a fifteen year old girl with dark hair was sprawled on the dry ground. She let a low groan escaped her lips as she slowly and **carefully** brought herself up in a sitting position. Her ash colored eyes looked at her right leg which she was trying not to move at all because she was very aware of the weird angle her right foot was currently in. She was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from the all the running she did before she slipped because of an unexpected slope on the ground she was previously running on. She took a deep breath. She knew she was no doctor and decided that she should not judge how bad her injury was. She was also starting to get aware of the intense pain coming from that injury. There was this nervous pounding of her heart against her ribcage. She was scared but she tried to act brave and not show it._

"_Katniss?... Katniss?" She heard footsteps coming closer to where she was. She bit her lip._

"_Gale!" No matter how much she wanted to cry her eyes out because of the fear and pain she was experiencing, she still managed to hold back. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. She almost wanted to crawl her way to the only person who can be her rescue at that moment._

"_There you are. Where have you– " A seventeen year old dark-haired lad entered her field of vision. She looked up to his gray eyes. She watched as those eyes that bear the same color as hers got filled with worry. Before she could blink, he was crouching close to her, inspecting her situation carefully. "You slipped didn't you?" She gave him a small nod and didn't miss the movement of his Adam's apple when he swallowed. He then looked into her eyes. She looked away._

"_I… I think my ankle is sprained." She said nervously, hoping that the injury was not bad at all._

"_Come. I'll take you to your mother." He said and hooked his right arm under her knees as his left arm went around her shoulders. She let out a surprised squeak but before he could lift her, she pushed him away. He looked at her in surprise for a moment. "Katniss." He knew she was not really fond of her mother but she couldn't just act tough and be stubborn until loses her foot or something._

"_I'll be fine." She said as she placed her palms against the ground trying to push herself up to a standing position. Sweat adorned her face and he simply watched her futile attempts to stand on her own for a while before he moved in a flash, sweeping her off of her feet. He almost wanted to laugh at the funny expression she made when she realized she was in his arms already. "G-Gale!" She protested and she was very aware of the blush forming on her cheeks._

"_Don't be stubborn, Catnip." He said in a playful tone of voice_

"_But…" She saw the concerned look in his eyes again before she decided to give up._

"_You're scared aren't you?" He teased as he started walking back to the fence that separates the woods from District 12._

"_I'm not. It's just a sprain… It's not like I won't be able to walk anymore after this." But that was really the exact reason she was scared. She imagined the worst case scenario once she won't be capable of walking and then eventually hunting. She couldn't imagine how they will survive if she won't be able to hunt now._

"_Of course it's just a sprain. You'll be chasing after me again here in this forest after a few days." Gale reassured her with a warm smile. Their eyes met. "You're a tough girl, Catnip. A survivor. I know you can stand against all odds." There was this amazing warmth spreading on her chest because of his words. She rested her head on his hard chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart._

"_Sorry, Gale. I won't be able to hunt with you today." She said feeling frustrated that she was being a burden to him._

"_What are you apologizing for? I can handle it alone for a few days. Don't worry. I'll drop by your house and give you your share." He wanted to pat her head but obviously he couldn't because his hands were occupied._

"_I'm a useless burden." That was when he started laughing. She glared up at him. A pout was on her full lips._

"_Catnip, you are not alone now. We're partners right? We'll support each other. And besides, can't you just be a girl sometimes? You don't have to act brave and tough all the time. You can be weak in front of me." She felt her heartbeats quickened when he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. A smile came upon her lips._

"_You're too good to me, Gale…"She said and relaxed in his arms completely. Despite the weather being hot, Katniss was feeling cold moments before she was not yet in Gale's arms. She suddenly felt happy that she got a sprain. She took in his scent of apples and oranges and thought it was such a refreshing scent. She wished that she can stay in his arms longer, wished that the walk to her house will be a lot longer than usual, wished that… time will just stop and preserved them in this moment, in this moment wherein they were just the boy and the girl named **Gale**** and**** Katniss**._

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><p>The wind blows at the two figures making their way through the forest in the supposedly darkest hours of the night. The leaves on the trees rustle. The night is quiet except for the sound of leaves getting crushed under feet as the dark haired man walks with a dark haired girl on his back. A hiccup disturbs the silence… and it is followed by another and then another. Gale lets out a low chuckle. "You cried too much now you are having those hiccups you get every time you cry uncontrollably." He points out. There is no verbal response coming from the girl on his back but he did not miss how her arms hold onto him tighter than before. She presses herself more onto his back, probably because of the coldness of the night and the fact that they are still dripping wet from the lake. Katniss didn't bother to put her dry clothes on because after he managed to calm her down from her intense crying, she become too exhausted to do anything else and she haven't said a word to him after crying her eyes out. Gale didn't say more things anyway. They can talk things out in another day. He is satisfied with the fact that she doesn't want him to leave, that she doesn't want him to go away, and that she doesn't hate him.<p>

Katniss feels her eyes getting heavy as she rests her head on his warm shoulder. Her senses are invaded by his familiar scent. _Apples__ and__ oranges_. "His scent… the scent of _home_…" She thought as she holds onto him tighter. It iss amazing for her how much it relaxes her having him this close after she apologized to him. It might seem to be unorganized but she knew she managed to get her thoughts across and for tonight that is enough. They never really need much exchange of words in their relationship anyway.

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><p>They soon got back to Victor's Village. Gale opens the door of her house carefully and then enters it quietly. He then remembered that Peeta is supposed to be sleeping on the couch and might see them and might take things differently but to his surprise; the blonde man is nowhere to be found in the living area. He figured that Peeta might have woken up and decided to continue sleeping in his room. Katniss slips off of his back and sits on the couch looking really sleepy and tired. Gale goes to the bathroom to get towels and the first aid kit for him and Katniss. She eyes the door of the bathroom for a couple of moments and soon enough she started to wonder why he is not coming out of the bathroom yet.<p>

"Gale?" She winces upon hearing the broken tone of her voice. He walks out of the bathroom with the towels and first aid kit. He drapes the towel around her shoulders and places the kit next to her. She watches him dry his hair with his towel. He somehow lost his shirt in his short trip in the bathroom. Not that she minds it, she is actually fascinated by the way the muscles on his back and shoulders flex with every little movement he makes. Her breath catches in her throat when he turns to her. She releases it when she noticed he is looking on her knees. "Those look painful," he says eyeing the bleeding scratches.

"Yours are worse," she says softly talking about the "injuries" she inflicted on his face. He sinks down on one knee in front of her while looking deep into her eyes.

"Yeah… These are very warm welcome gifts from you, Catnip. I never thought you would miss me this much." That playful smile on his face is very infectious she just found herself smiling as well.

"Sorry." His smile widens before he looks back on her scratches.

"Better clean those in the bathroom," he suggests. She nods and gets up.

"I can handle it," she tells him. He watches her walk towards the bathroom. By the time she gets back in the living room, she sees that he has already placed a band aid on the scratch on his left cheek. The bruise on his jawline doesn't look that big though it is a sick purplish color. She sits on the couch again, now dressed in a loose white shirt. It is big enough to cover her body down to her mid thighs.

"Here." He hands her an ointment for her wounds that he got from the first aid kit. Her injuries aren't really bad but she got a big painful bruise on her right shin. They just sit there in silence while she tends to her wounds. He is sitting on the floor next to where her legs dangle off the couch. Katniss notices that she keeps applying ointment on her wounds almost repetitively. She figured that she must start saying something now that they are both settled. Her eyes lock on his figure but she can't seem to find the right words to say again. She watches him grab two of the throw pillows and places them on the carpeted floor before lying down. Their eyes meet for a brief second before she quickly tries to act like she is still busy tending on her injuries.

"Uhmm… Are you sleeping?" She croaks out after he finished making himself comfortable on the floor.

"Yeah… I'm tired," he replies and she finds him lying comfortably there with his eyes closed. She doesn't really like the idea that he is sleeping on her.

"You don't really plan to sleep there, do you?" She asks as she carefully moves herself to lie down on the couch. She strategically places herself on the couch in a position she can gaze at him while preventing her injuries to have contact with the couch. He doesn't bother to respond. She stares at him for a while knowing he can't fall asleep that fast. She lay on her side so she can watch him.

A few minutes passed by, she just watched him. She remembers that night when he was lying on their table beaten up because he was caught in the streets with a dead turkey hanging from his belt. Just like what she did on that night, she analyzed him. She let out a sigh as her eyes move down his body stopping on his hand which is lying on top of his toned abdomen. She bites her lower lip as she slowly moves her own hand towards his. When her fingers ever so lightly graze the skin of his hand, she feels a fire spreading from her fingertips, enveloping her whole body. She pushes the hesitation into the farthest recesses of her mind and gathers all her courage. She slips her hand in his, gripping his hand tightly.

"Goodnight, Catnip." She smiles in contentment as she rests her head comfortably on a soft throw pillow on the couch. Tonight, she knows that just like on that night when he was lying on their table in tremendous pain with welts on his back, she doesn't want to lose him. Now that he is back and within her reach again…

"Anything else is unthinkable." Katniss whispers. They can sleep at peace tonight. They can just think of everything else tomorrow.

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><p>End of Chapter 4! Please do keep reading and reviewing! Thank you ^_^<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**The Choices We Made**

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Katniss stirs in her sleep as she slowly becomes aware of the bright sun rays hitting her face. She shifts on the couch noticing that she is feeling kind of sore. She tries to pull her mind back to sleep but a giggle makes her open her eyes a little just to see Gale standing in front of the window with Finn in his arms. She watches him point at something before turning to the child in his arms. "That's a bird," he says softly to the child and little Finnick just claps his little hands. The girl on fire watches their interaction. She knows that Gale has always been good at handling kids. Well it is already a given fact considering he needed to be a father and an older brother to his siblings at a very young age. Katniss feels herself waking up fully when their eyes meet.

"Good morning, Catnip." She can't even describe how warm she started to feel as she keeps on looking at Gale's face. The morning rays of the sun bathes him in some kind of mystical light making the silvery depths of his eyes more stunning. And his cool voice really makes everything about this morning good and more. She starts to wonder what in hell she has been doing in the past two years. She could have reached him a lot sooner. Waking up to him like this brings up wonderful feelings inside her. She smiles at him, pouring the happiness that she is currently feeling in one smile just for him.

"Morning." She stretches her limbs out and winces when she becomes aware again of her little injuries that she got last night. She takes a seat on the couch as he walks around to entertain Finnick. "How long have you been awake?" She asks curiously. It almost feels like it is very normal to have him in this house. It almost feels like he belongs here.

"Half an hour maybe…" He is in front of Peeta's paintings hanging on the wall. Finnick seems to be enjoying seeing all the pretty colors on the paintings. "I went upstairs to shower and change. I checked up on Annie and saw Finn widely awake." He turns to Katniss with a grin on his face. "You should have seen him. He was bouncing on the bed and was calling out for his mother. He looked so adorable." Gale sounds like a proud father that made Katniss smile.

"I bet that was really cute." She gets up and makes her way towards them. "Won't you like to come with me, Finn? Let me hold you for a bit, will you?" Finnick just stares at her with his wide sea-green colored eyes. He breaks out into a chuckle before he reaches out his little hands for her. She quickly snatches him from Gale. "You sure are growing up fast." Katniss sees Gale walk into the kitchen. She then turns to look at what time it is. The wall clock in the living room reads 8:12 in the morning. "Are you making breakfast?" She asks as she follows him inside.

"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry. I hope you won't mind me rummaging in your kitchen." He started opening some of the cabinets.

"Of course I don't mind." Katniss stands next to him in front of the stove where he already put a frying pan to cook some bacon and sausages. Finnick started to reach out for several things in the kitchen he should not be allowed to touch so when he got fed up of Katniss telling him not to touch, he latches his hands on her hair and pulls. "Owww…" She tries to get his hands off of her hair but the naughty child is finding her hair entertaining enough so he keeps on tugging on it happily. Gale just smiles at the scene before him.

"You better start looking for something that will take his attention off of your hair," he states in an amused tone of voice.

"Right…" She starts looking for something when Johanna walks into the kitchen with a transparent bag in her hands filled with colorful cubes. "Oh… Good morning, Johanna." Katniss greets her. Johanna walks towards her and Finnick. She places the bag of cubes on the dining table. Katniss doesn't fail to notice that Johanna is in a foul mood considering the scowl adorning her face.

"Jo!" That makes Johanna smile a little. Finnick is grinning so happily at her how can she continue scowling in front of that child who is currently radiating with positive energy. She settles on a chair at the dining table.

"Hey there, Finn. I got your favorite blocks." She unzips the bag and pours the cubes on the table. Katniss takes a seat in front of the table so that Finnick can play with the cubes. Johanna then rests her head on her arms on the table as she groans.

"You don't look too good. Are you sick?" Katniss asks curiously. She watches Johanna raise a hand.

"I'll be fine. I just had too much to drink last night." The brown haired woman replies before jolting upright on her chair. Katniss watches her turn her head to look at Gale who is busy making breakfast. "Gale…" It sounds like a whimper.

"This is bad… You are actually calling my name," Gale says with an amused look on his face. He is smirking at Johanna. The woman tries to glare at him but she just manages to look in pain as she feels a pounding in her head.

"Make me some coffee," she demands. Gale turns back on his cooking much to Johanna's displeasure.

"You're not a baby. Go make your own coffee," He says and Katniss knows he is just messing with Johanna considering his tone of voice. She watches the victor of District 7 get up and walk up to Gale.

"Come on. Make me some coffee. My head is aching…" She complains before resting her forehead on his back. It is a simple gesture but Katniss started feeling uneasy for some reason. Gale turns to Johanna who is pouting like a child.

"Go take something for your headache while I make coffee, you spoiled princess." Johanna exits the kitchen with a wide grin on her face. Gale shakes his head. "She can drink a lot," he says to Katniss.

"Ah-huh…" Gale looks at her noting that she sounds out of it.

"Would you like some coffee too?" He asks. She looks up at him and gives him an uneasy smile that seems to confuse him.

"I'm fine," she replies and looks at the towers of three cubes Finnick was able to make. Just then Annie walks in the kitchen wearing a dark blue dress. A white headband is on her hair. Katniss just stares at her for a while. She has always known that Annie is one lovely woman. She might lose herself from time to time but that's just it. She is still beautiful.

"Good morning, Katniss." Annie greets sweetly as she pulls a chair out to sit on next to Katniss. The woman reaches out to gather her son in her arms.

"Morning, Annie." Katniss greets back. She watches the elder woman adore her child. She smiles. "How long do you guys plan to stay? It will be nice if we can spend more time together." She says this though she just wants to make sure that she will have more time to spend with Gale.

"Well…" Her gray eyes watch Annie as she looks at Gale for a moment. "Well Gale just has a few days off so I cannot promise that we can stay for long," Annie replies. There is a very noticeable tone of regret in her words. Sea-green eyes look at Katniss since the woman seems to be spacing out. "Katniss?" Annie snaps her out of her thoughts.

"That's sad. I was hoping you'll be staying longer than a few days," Katniss says before getting up. "I'll go and take a shower," she says and excuses herself. Annie turns to Gale.

"Did you guys manage to talk things out?" She asks hopefully.

"Not really but… we're good," Gale replies as he places the fried bacon and sausages on a large plate. He then places it on the table. He sees her smile.

"That's nice to hear," she says and reaches out to hold his hand. He smiles back at her.

"Annie, do you remember when I told you that we got a beautiful lake here in District 12?" He watches her eyes brighten up more as she nods excitedly.

"Will you take me there, Gale?" She gives his hand a light squeeze.

"Of course. I promised didn't I? I know you will love it," he says and her smile widens.

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><p>Katniss takes her time in the shower but when Peeta started knocking on her door she knows she cannot stay longer in the bathroom. She slips out of the bathroom and sees Peeta sitting on her bed looking fresh. "Gale made breakfast. Everyone's settled already. We're waiting for you," Peeta informs her.<p>

"Ah yeah… Sorry." Peeta notices that she is not in a good mood. He watches as she removes her robe. His eyes trail down on her naked back and notice the tension in her movements.

"Are you upset about something? Are you bothered because of… Gale?" He asks. She stops midway in pulling her pants up.

"No. We're actually good." Katniss knows that no one really knows about her little encounter with Gale in the forest last night but she is just being honest when she said that they are actually in good terms now.

"You talked with him?" Peeta is standing behind her now. She becomes aware of his close proximity.

"A little…" She replies softly. Her breathing hitches when she feels him wrap his arms around her small body pulling her close to him. They stand there in silence. He kisses the top of her head and continues to hold her closely. Peeta is never a dumb man. He knows that even if he is holding her now, Katniss is not with him at the moment. He can't help it but to feel threatened because of Gale. He doesn't like the thought of Gale worming his way back into Katniss' heart. He turns Katniss towards him so that he can see her face.

"Katniss…" She looks up at him and he feels like someone stabbed his heart when he sees the confusion in her eyes. He already lost his everything. Katniss is all he's got now and he is determined to make sure she won't slip out of his grasp. He is done with acting like a good man. He wants to be selfish now. "Stay with me," he says as he places a hand on her cheek. She refuses to look at him now knowing she can't be true to him at the moment. He hears footsteps coming closer to her room. He left the door open and all he can hope for this moment is for that person coming to be no one else but Gale Hawthorne. "Katniss." She looks up to his deep blue eyes again and the next thing she knows he is kissing her.

"Uhm… J-Johanna told me to fetch you guys for breakfast," Gale says from the doorway and Peeta couldn't be happier when he becomes aware that it is him. Katniss gasps and quickly moves away from Peeta. She hurriedly puts the rest of her clothes on. The three of them walk into the dining room in silence. Katniss is nervous. She doesn't know what Gale might be thinking when he saw them kissing. She knows that maybe he already moved on but all she could hope for right now is that he still… loves her. And she knows it is wrong of her to wish for such a thing. She cann't even set things straight on who she really loves.

"How selfish can I be?" She bites her lip. She cannot go on forever making Peeta and Gale wait, hurting both of them in the process. She knows she must come down with a decision soon enough. She doesn't want to continue hurting them anymore.

* * *

><p>They started to eat breakfast silently. Even Johanna doesn't seem to be in the mood to bring up crazy things. Katniss is thankful for that.<p>

"What happened to your face, Gale?" It is Peeta who asked out of his curiosity. Johanna and Annie seem to be noticing his bruise right now. Katniss feels her breath getting caught in her throat. Gale touches his bruise gently.

"This? Nothing really." Katniss actually feels… _hurt_. She thinks that there is no really harm in telling that they have a little encounter last night. "Anyway, I'm going out with Annie later. I just want to show her around. Johanna, do you want to come?" Gale asks quickly changing the subject.

"I'll pass. I want to get more sleep and besides it's not like there's something to look at here in District 12." Johanna says before stuffing her mouth with bread.

"Your loss." Gale says as he shrugs.

"You better leave Finn behind okay? You guys might go to that forest you always talk about. I just don't want him having insect bites." Johanna adds and Annie giggles.

"I'll leave him to you then. I hope it's alright," She says.

"What are you saying now, Annie? I'm like the second mother of this child." Johanna says as she places a hand on top of Finnick's head. The child is currently on Gale's lap.

"Then we hope that he doesn't get any of your foul words." Peeta says and Johanna gives him the finger. They all laugh… except for Katniss.

"Would you like to come with us, Katniss? We can hunt." Gale effectively brings her in to the conversation. "We can hunt together." He says. She is looking into his eyes and for a moment she feels like they are just the only beings in the room.

_We__ can__ hunt __together._ Wonderful memories invade her mind and before she can think more about it, she has already given her answer.

"I would love to." The small smile on her face fails to hide her excitement at the thought of hunting with Gale.

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><p>Phew~ Done with chapter five. I can promise that the next chapter will be more interesting ^_^<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**The Choices We Made**

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

Katniss is almost bouncing on her feet like a child as she walks a few steps behind Gale and Annie. She adjusts the sheath of arrows she has on her shoulder and holds her bow tighter. She just wants to spend some more alone time with Gale. She is even thankful when Peeta said that he will be staying in the house with Johanna and Finnick. Well they can't really leave their guests without company and besides Peeta seems to be enjoying himself trying to be pals with little Finnick. "Or maybe he was just giving me this opportunity to smooth things out with Gale." Katniss smiles at the thought. They soon pass the fence and are making their way into the forest.

"Hey, Catnip." She looks up to meet Gale's gaze.

"Is it okay if we just go fishing today? I promised to bring Annie to the lake." After hearing his words, her good mood slowly started to fade into nothingness. She frowns but gives him a small nod of understanding. The moment he turned his head back on the path they are taking, she started glaring daggers at his back. Katniss is having this sick feeling in her stomach. She is just able to notice it now as her gray eyes watch the two people in front of her. She swallows as Gale's hand grasps Annie's hand to aid her on their walk on the uneven and rocky ground. She started feeling left out as the two started to get into a little conversation about Gale's days spent hunting in this forest.

"_I promised to bring Annie to the lake."_

The lake. The lake where she used to hang out with her deceased father. It might seem to be really selfish and unreasonable. But Katniss holds that lake so close to her heart. It is kind of a secret place that belonged to her and her precious father and after he died, Gale was the only person she shared that special place with, she didn't even told Prim about that place and of course she would never dare to take Prim with her in the forest. "And now he will be sharing it with someone else," Katniss thinks. She loves that lake. Not just because of the memories she has with her father but also because of her memories with Gale at that place. She thought that Gale will be treating that place with the same treatment she has for it. Annie is a very special friend and Katniss knows she shouldn't be thinking about being selfish over a lake. But there is this uneasy feeling in her stomach as they near the lake.

* * *

><p>They are still a few yards away when Annie let out an excited squeal when she caught the glimpse of the sparking blue surface of the lake. "It's beautiful! Hurry up, Gale!" Katniss watches Annie drag Gale towards the lake. The true happiness she saw on Annie's face makes her regret her selfish thoughts a few minutes ago. She places her bow and sheath of arrows beside the usual rock she sits on whenever she goes here. Her gray eyes watch their movements.<p>

"W-Wait! We don't have a spare of clothes!" Gale says between laughs as Annie started to drag him into the water.

"It's okay!" Annie giggles, half of her dress is already soaked in the water and much to Katniss' surprise and displeasure, the victor of District 4 unzips her blue dress and slips out of it in a blink of an eye. She watches Gale's reaction but he just continue laughing like it is an everyday occurrence that a girl will be removing her dress in front of him and stand in front of him just in her lacy underwear. Her eyes trail down on Annie's body. The woman has a fair complexion despite growing up and living in District 4. The color of her eyes is brought out by all the blue color of the water surrounding her. She looks like a sea nymph, a lovely sea nymph. "No wonder Finnick loved her." Annie's face never fails to show how she truly feels and her sweet innocence just makes the people around her like her. Katniss wonders if she will look as beautiful and sexy as Annie even after she gets pregnant and gives birth. She is surprised of her own thoughts.

"Since when did I ever start of thinking of having kids?" She kicks a small rock lying close to her left foot.

"Alright. Alight. We'll take a swim." Annie lets go of Gale's hand and watches him remove his shirt and pants. He gathers their half dry clothes in his arms and places them on top of a few flat surfaced rocks to dry them. He then gets in the water with Annie who quickly disappeared in the depths of the water after a flawless dive. Katniss watches them swim and play around like children. Well that's what she wants to think that they are just playing around like children not playing around like _lovers_. She swallows a forming lump on her throat.

"Why did he bring me with them just to leave me out like this? Does he need someone to watch over their clothes?" Katniss is getting annoyed. She is trying to get annoyed than jealous over the fact that Gale is having a lovey dovey time with Annie… and _not__with__her_. While Katniss is busy getting mad at Gale, she fails to notice that he has stopped swimming around and is now watching her. He is curious why she looks mad at someone and the glare in her eyes is almost all too scary to look at.

"Catnip!" He calls her out and watches her eyes lock with his. He doesn't fail to notice how her glare seemed to intensify. Instead of feeling bothered, he just feels amused by the current situation. He sees her mutter a few words to herself. He can't really read her lips considering the distance but he just feels like she said something along the lines of "Don't 'Catnip' me." He decided to put the fire out before it spreads wider. He wades his way to get in the shallow part of the lake. He then makes his way towards Katniss who he knows is trying her best to hide her emotions though she is never really good at that and he is one of the people whom she cannot really hide her true feelings from. "Let's take a swim," he offers now standing in front of her in his all dripping wet glory. She looks up at his towering form and her anger almost disappears in a flash.

"I thought we are going to fish." Her voice sounds cold and serious. So instead of pushing her to swim with them he just takes a seat next to her on the rock which is too small for the both of them. He felt her tense up the moment his body brushed against her side. "You're going to get me wet." She is trying to make him move away but he is not going to do that.

"Well we don't really have fishing poles," he says and she looks at him with the look of shock on her face.

"Then why say we are going to fish?" Now he is the one surprised by how fast she gets so worked up over things.

"Uhm… You didn't seem to mind a while ago when you agreed to fish. I thought you have fishing poles stored around here somewhere." He tries to reason out. At times like this, the old Katniss would punch or kick him but when he saw her right arm twitched and she contained herself before she could make any moves against him, he concludes that she is still uncomfortable around him. He is hoping that after last night, they can start treating each other like they used to but it seems like she still holds her walls up and high against him. He then sees Annie making her way towards them and doesn't fail to notice how Katniss' expression become more bitter. "Are you mad because I took Annie here?" The words are out before he could think over her possible reactions.

Katniss is gaping a little because she is shocked by how much he can read her. She hesitates to answer because she doesn't really know what to say on the first place. "No. Why would I be mad over something like that?" He watches her fingers play with the tips of her braid because of her uneasiness.

"Really?" He just wants to tease her but from the moment she turns and glares up at him venomously he knows he hit a very sensitive nerve.

"Why would I be mad about you bringing Annie here? This place is special to me Gale!" Annie despite her being the innocent girl she is notices the tension between Katniss and Gale so she decided not to approach them yet. She just walks back into the water.

"I know it is special to you. It's special to me as well!" Gale can't understand why Katniss is getting angry. No one littered here or did anything that will disgrace the place so he can't understand. He thinks that her getting mad because he brought Annie here is… too unreasonable and too childish for him and he won't have any of that.

"Do you know why it's special to me?" She asks now standing up, trying her best to look intimidating now that she can tower over his sitting form.

"I know alright. Your father discovered this place. You love this place because of your precious memories with him here." Gale tries to suppress the anger he is starting to feel because of Katniss' childishness. After hearing his answer, Katniss stands there almost as if she is in shock. She doesn't say anything for a while. She just lays her head low and then shakes her head as if she is trying to deny something or maybe because she is disapproving of his answer. He is now getting more confused but he knows he shouldn't really fight with her especially now that they haven't really smoothed things out between the two of them. "Catnip." He tries to hold her hand to comfort her thinking that he might have brought up painful memories of her father because of his answer, but the moment his skin touched hers she slapped his hand away.

"I… I… I just thought you…" She trails off. Now he doesn't really have any idea why she is getting so worked up but he is more bothered by the hurt and sad look in her eyes.

"Look I know this place is special to you. It's special to me as well. But no matter how precious it is to us, we do not own this beautiful place." He tries to reason out to her. He expects her to understand but she just looks at him angrily.

"You really don't understand." He sees that there are tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She takes a deep breath. "Whatever. I'm going back so you can have more alone time with Annie." Her words sound so bitter, it confuses him more. He then watches her run away. A few minutes passes by, he is still staring at the spot in the forest where Katniss disappeared to. A feeling of a hand touching his bare shoulder snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks up to see Annie, holding her dress against her chest and there is this worried look on her pretty face.

"Did you guys fight?" She asks taking a seat on the spot where Katniss was sitting on before she stormed away. He nods before taking her hand in his.

"Don't worry about it. It's not that bad." He lies and she just knows he did.

"Go after her. I'll wait for you guys here." She says and gives him a sweet smile. He is hesitant to go. He is afraid something bad will happen to Annie if he leaves her alone. She notices this hesitation so she gives his hand a squeeze. "I'll be fine. The water calms me." She assures him before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. He stands up, grabs his pants and puts them on.

"Just stay here okay. We'll be back before you know it." He says and she gives him a small nod before he runs off into the forest.

Katniss stops running as soon as she realizes she has no reason to run away. She also realizes that Gale is not coming after her and then she notices the tears streaming down her face. She leans on a tree before touching her right cheek, feeling her tears. A choked laugh escapes her lips. She finds her current situation funny. "He already moved on…" are her defeated words before she sinks down to her knees.

* * *

><p><strong>Katniss POV<strong>

Why am I crying here in the middle of the forest? What am I crying about? Gale's words made me realize that he just sees me as a friend now nothing more, nothing less. But isn't that what I wanted? To have him back? To have him back as my best friend? Then why does my heart ache so much right now? Why can't I bear the thought of him being with another girl? Seriously I've been spending this whole day drowning myself in jealousy, it's almost laughable! Why am I jealous? Is it because we have always been together? He has always been mine? I was the one who drove him away, making him thought that I blame and hate him for Prim's death.

Do I just really want him to be back as my best friend? What is Gale to me? The sound of twigs breaking snaps me out of my thoughts. I move my hand to grab an arrow but all I grasp is air. That's when I remember that I left my bow and arrows by the lake. I slowly stand up. I think that it is better if I run away now before whatever predator it is that's hiding in the shadows shows itself. I take a deep breath before I make the run for it.

"Katniss!" I cannot help it but wince when the "predator" just revealed himself. My legs slow down upon hearing his voice but then I realize I have been crying and decided I do not want him to see me like this. He will just bombard me with questions I do not think I can answer with the current confused state my mind is in. So instead of continuing to slow down, I run as fast as I can. I keep on running but soon enough my chest started to hurt and he is not showing any sign of giving up. I can feel him closing in on me. He has always been a fast runner and when he managed to take a hold of my wrist, I thrash as hard as I can. But then he locks an arm around my waist and the other across my chest. I keep on thrashing anyway. I even hit the bruise on his face intentionally but just like when I was almost drowning last night, he does not let me go.

"Tell me what is wrong. I'm not letting you go…" His breath is very hot against my ear and I become aware how hard he is breathing and how fast his heart is beating, considering my back is pressed up against him. _He __is__ not__ letting __me __go_. _He__ will__ not__ let__ me __go_. That is when everything clicks right in my mind. I do not want him to let me go just like the fact that I do not want to let him go. I bite my lower lip before I say things that I might regret later.

"I'm sorry," he says. He is always the one who will say sorry even if I am most of the time the one at fault. "Tell me what's wrong. Whatever I did to upset you, I'm sorry." The sincerity in his voice melts my heart but at the same time guilt fills me because I have been so childish, selfish, and unreasonable. It is not Gale's fault that the lake is precious to me because of my father and _him_. It's not his fault that the lake is precious to him not because of me. I just thought that he is treating that place like it's a special place reserved only for the _two __of__ us_. And besides I was just jealous because of Annie with the fact that I shouldn't really be getting jealous. I do not have any right to be jealous anyway.

I feel him turn my body so we are facing each other but I just keep my eyes lock on his bare chest. I cannot really look into his eyes right now. I am so shameful of my own actions and attitude. "Catnip." Does he realize how much I miss that name? He is the only one who calls me that and I do not think I will be comfortable with anyone besides Gale calling me in that way. I just give him silence as a response. The insects in the forest are giving him more response with their little sounds than me.

"Talk to me. Say everything you want to tell me. Ask me anything you want to know. Just… talk to me." More guilt fills me. Who am I to confuse him like this? Who am I to hurt him after everything he has done for me and my family? And here I am unable to get a word out. I swallow and slowly look up into his eyes which are filled with hurt and concern. I cannot continue treating him this way. Keeping silent will not get the two of us anywhere. Just then the sky rumbles, I do not have to look up to know that it will soon rain, dark clouds slowly block the sun, making the forest look gloomy. He does not seem to care about the weather though like I care about it anyway. I am lost in his eyes.

"Gale… I…" I started to speak but I do not even know where I should start. Last night I was saying sorry to him, today should I say sorry as well? I guess I should. "I'm… sorry." The confusion in his eyes just increases. He then releases his grip on my arms. I take this as a sign that I can go even though I do not know why he is letting me go now. I just turn my back on him and start to walk away.

"You do not really want me here, do you?" His question shocks me. Why should he be thinking that way? But instead of running up to him and telling him it's the exact opposite I just stand there. "You're probably wishing that I never come and show my face to you again." His voice sounds so hurt. "Katniss." Now I know he is completely serious. A raindrop lands on top of my head and soon it started to rain. "I told you talk to me now. I want to know everything that goes inside of your head. Tell me everything. Tell me you are still thinking that I am the cause of Prim's death. Tell me you blame me. Tell me how cruel and heartless I am! Tell me you hate me!... Anything… Just say anything…" My heart aches painfully with each word he just said.

"Just give me the reason to leave now and never show my face to you again… I actually thought we can still smooth things out but I guess not." I hear him take a deep breath maybe he is trying his best not to cry. "Drive me away one last time because I do not think I can leave on my own right now after I gathered all my courage to show up here."

_Drive me away. Reason to leave. Never to show up again. **Never**._

No. No. No! He will not leave again! I turn around so fast and move towards him. I literally jump on him as I wrap my arms around his neck and press my body against him tightly. He must be surprised but he locks his arms around me anyway. I just hold him tight. I really fail at words whenever I am around him. He just leaves me speechless. We are now very soaked under the rain but we can hardly care. After a few minutes, his hold on me loosens a little and I know that it's time to explain myself. "Don't let me go." I surprise myself by how firm my voice sounded even if tears are rolling down my cheeks. "I do not want to go anywhere." I pick my head up from being pressed up against his chest to look at his face. "I do not want to go anywhere without you." A sob successfully escapes my lips but at least I managed to say some of the things I want to say.

He then holds me close again and leans down to bury his face at the crook of my neck. The feeling of his breath against my skin makes butterflies dance in my stomach. "You will never hear a reason from me for… you to leave…" I whisper to him. "I… I want you to stay…" He moves his head a little and presses his forehead against mine. He is too close now but I feel like he is not yet close enough. I watch his eyes look deeply into mine and his hands come up to cup my face.

"Catnip." I feel his breath against my lips and I take in a breath. I close my eyes hoping that he will kiss me but after a few moments I realize he will not kiss me. He just presses his lips on my forehead like he usually does. He never pushes things and sometimes I hate him for not being pushy. I hate him for being so patient and in control always.

I place my hand on his chest. I stare at my fingers for a while before I look up at him. I know I will not regret this. I will _never_ regret this. I do not care if he has moved on. I just want the rest of the things I want to say to him to go through. So I copy what he did in that day when I just returned from the arena, when we met up in the woods that particular day. I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips against his warm ones. I pour all my feelings out in that one simple kiss. I love him. I know I loved him before. I am in love with him.

After a few moments, he remains unresponsive. I cannot really tell how long I was kissing him but I do not think I should kiss him longer just to see if he will return it. The pain consumes me fast and a loud sob escapes my lips. I push myself away from him. The truth hurts so much. He doesn't love me that way anymore. I refuse to look at his face as I take shaky steps backwards. So this is rejection… Maybe this is how he felt when I kept on leaving him hanging on a thread of almost nonexistent hope that I'll choose him over Peeta back then. I open my mouth to say something… anything but no words come out. I told myself moments before I kiss him that I will not regret it… but here I am regretting it because I know I just complicated things when it is just starting to get better.

I look up to see his face for a moment but I quickly look away. "Gale… I– " My words are cut off and I think even my breathing is cut off when I realize his lips are on mine. He is kissing me and his kiss is not like the one I just gave him minutes ago. His kiss is burning with passion that melts me. I feel my knees buckle and I stumble backwards because of the force of his kiss but he holds me close. He presses me up against the tree behind me and I do not mind the slight pain I felt when my head collided with the trunk of the tree. All I can care about right now is his lips on mine. I kiss him back hoping that I am pouring more passion into the kiss than he does. I want him to know how much I want this. I part my lips and tilt my head a bit so we can kiss deeper. I want him close so badly right now it still hurts even if we are already kissing. His tongue duels with mine but he soon dominates me and all I want him to do is to dominate me. All that matters to me right now is him… _only__ him_.

The Games, the Capitol, the rebellion, Snow, Coin… they all tried to separate us. They do not exist anymore. There is no reason now for me not to be with Gale. This kiss… These feelings… How long have I been holding them in? How long has he been waiting for me to return these feelings?

I run my fingers through his hair and wrap my legs around his waist pushing myself onto his body harder. The raindrops hit our bodies mercilessly but I do not care. It can rain fire balls now I will not let go of him still. This hunger consumes me and I moan at the feeling of his hands slipping under my shirt. Just then, I hear a cough somewhere to our right. I tell myself it's just my imagination but Gale stops kissing me, making me realize it was not my imagination.

I look at Haymitch under an umbrella and notice Annie wearing a rain coat is standing next to him, her mouth is gaping and a blush is adorning her cheeks. I can tell I still look so dazed by the look Haymitch is giving me. What is he doing here anyway?

"I do not really mean to interrupt, sweetheart. But apparently there is a storm coming hence this heavy rain. I do not think it's advisable to make out under a storm. Sorry my dear." He says and this familiar warmth creeping on my cheeks places me back in reality. I jump out of Gale's arms as if I just got electrocuted. I am so embarrassed I hide myself behind him when Haymitch steps closer to us to hand an umbrella to Gale. They share a few words but my mind is getting so foggy I do not bother to know what they are talking about. "The umbrella does not seem to have any use now anyway. You two are drenched beyond help." I see Haymitch looking at Gale from head to toe. "You… my boy." He pats Gale's bare shoulder. "Is going to get sick." Gale opens the umbrella still and shields us from the rain with it.

"I think so." Gale replies with a too happy smile on his face that makes me smile too and Haymitch laughs.

"Let's head back, you kids." He says and assists Annie on our way back to District 12. Gale and I stand there for a moment when he suddenly wraps an arm around me pulling me close to him.

"I'm kind of cold." He says with a grin on his face that tells me that he is pulling me close not because he is cold but because he just wants to hold me close. I smile at him before taking a quick glance at Haymitch and Annie's retreating backs to make sure they are not looking back. After I make sure the coast is clear, I place a hand on Gale's cheek and pull myself up to kiss him.

"Then don't let me go."

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><p>Done with chapter 6! Thanks to everyone who spent their time reading and reviewing. I hope you guys will continue to do so and hopefully more people will read and review this story. I plan to make a few one shots but I want to concentrate on this story for a while longer. And don't worry I haven't forgotten about Peeta despite all that's transpired between Gale and Katniss in this chapter ^_^ He won't just disappear miraculously so that Galeniss can continue to go on smoothly XD<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary: **Katniss knows that nothing can ever be the same again between her and Gale. She knows she shouldn't act like she's got a hold over him. She was the one who pushed him away. She knows that maybe it's better for each one of them if she let him go. But as stubborn as she always have been, she wants to try now and see if she could ever have a happy ending with the first man she trusted her everything with. But now it's not only her who needs to choose. Gale must make his own choice as well. This is a story revolving around Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and Annie.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **None for now but I think that there will be possible lemons in future chapters.

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><p><strong>The Choices We Made<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

**Katniss POV**

On our way back to Victor's Village, I find out that Haymitch went to my house just to find a very distressed Peeta and Johanna. He told us that Finnick was crying angrily and was throwing every toy they try to coax him with and he didn't just throw them at random places. He threw them at Johanna and Peeta with all the anger he could muster in that tiny body of his. Haymitch managed to calm the little child by babbling things to him like getting his mommy back for him. It is amazing that Haymitch is sober right now but I still cannot imagine him winning over little Finn. So Haymitch offered to go to the forest to fetch us. Actually he planned to buy some liquor first but he noticed the dark clouds gathering so he decided to get umbrellas and his only rain coat before heading to the forest to fetch us.

He admitted to us that he has been wandering in the forest sometimes since we got back in District 12 so he knows it pretty well by now. We asked him how he found Annie considering the lake is situated in the deeper part of the forest. He said that he actually saw her wandering around. Gale started asking if Annie is okay and he apologized for leaving her. She just gave him a warm smile and told him everything is alright, that she wandered in the forest when she noticed the dark clouds.

"I thought I will be able to find my way through but I guess I won't be able to get out if no one found me there." She sounded very calm despite her almost disappearance in the middle of an unknown forest. I noticed that Gale was very guilty. I cannot blame him. Annie is a fragile girl. We never know what can happen in the forest. So all we can do right now is being glad she is safe. We soon reach my house. Haymitch opens the door and the sound of wailing invades our ears.

Little Finnick is standing in the middle of the living area crying his lungs out. His chubby face is all red just like a tomato and the tears coming from his eyes seem to be endless. Johanna tries to carry him but he struggles in her arms. Peeta tries to coax him as well but to no avail. The little child just cries at them to go away. We all move to comfort him. I can almost imagine Finnick impaling us with his trident for making his child cry like this. Little Finn's sea-green eyes spot his mother among the crowd of people trying to comfort him. He quickly moves towards her and falls in her lap. "Mama! Mama!" He cries and Annie holds him close. Soon enough he calms down and he immediately falls asleep. Poor child. That level of crying really exhausted him.

Johanna and Peeta fall down on the couch in an almost comical way. Haymitch goes in the kitchen to bring out a glass for himself so he can start drinking. Annie continues to cradle little Finn. I watch Johanna let out a tired sigh and points at Finnick. "That is the first time I see him cry like that. Please don't leave him in my hands again. I wasn't able to get any sleep!" She complained.

"It's your own idea to leave him in your hands." Gale said as he hands me a towel to dry my hair. I get it and remove my braid to dry my hair with the towel. Johanna glares at him but she knows that she cannot really say anything against that fact.

"I was almost convinced that Finnick was disturbing him considering how he was crying so hard." Peeta elbows her and gestures for Johanna to consider Annie's feelings. Johanna gives Peeta a look. "But he was crying "Dada!" all the time." Johanna reasons out and Peeta just mouths a "shut up" at her. Annie seems not to be bothered by Johanna's comment which is a relief. Seriously, Johanna does not know when to stop talking at times… or maybe all the time. I turn to Annie.

"Let's let him sleep upstairs." I tell her and she nods. We make our way up the stairs and I notice Gale following us. Well I know he cares deeply for this child. Annie places Finnick on the bed in her current room. She kisses his forehead gently and by watching them I feel a knot coiling in my stomach. I cannot understand this feeling at all so I refuse to acknowledge it longer. I stand close to the edge of the bed. "You can take a shower first for the moment. I'll watch over him." I tell Annie. She just smiles at me.

"I am fine. I'll take a shower later once he's awake, I can take him with me. He will just wake up and throw a fit again if I leave his side now." She says and I guess this what you can call "Mothers know best" situation. "And as for you, Katniss, you are dripping wet. Are you sure you are not feeling cold?" Annie asks in concern and almost as if her words have control over my body, I shiver. We giggle together after that.

"I might as well take a warm shower then." I tell her and slip out of her room.

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><p>I make my way to my room and just when I am about to open my door, a hand wraps itself around my wrist and then the next thing I know Gale is dragging me into his room which he has not use yet except for the shower. My heart started to beat so fast once I set foot in his room and he effectively shut the door behind me. I barely register the exciting sound of the lock when he pressed it because his lips are on mine again. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself closer to him. We might have been drenched in the rain and we are still wet from it now but I do not think that any amount of water can put out the fire burning strongly within us. I kiss him like I will not be able to breathe if he pulls away. His hands slide my hunting jacket off of my shoulders and past my arms. It lands with a soft sound on the wooden floor. I feel his hands clutch on my waist then sliding over my ass before he grips onto the back of my thighs pulling me off of my feet in one swift movement and making me wrap my legs around his waist.<p>

Heat pools in my lower abdomen and moans escape my lips when his hands slip under my shirt once again. His fingertips leave a burning sensation in every part of my body they touch. They ghost over my bra-covered breasts but never cupping them much to my disappointment. He moves them on my lean abdomen making me squirm in anticipation but he never moves them lower. I started thinking that he is torturing me. A gasp escapes my lips when he unclasps my bra. I pull away from his kisses for a moment to look into his eyes. His gray eyes seem to be a lot darker in color now but I guess my eyes looks the same way as his. He captures my lips in a searing kiss before he started trailing kisses down my jawline to my neck. He stumbles towards the bed and he falls into it with me on top of him. I pull away from him far enough so I can remove my shirt and bra, then our lips meet again. I think I can just kiss him all the day. Shivers run down my spine as his arm wraps around me and presses my bare chest on his. I moan against his lips before moving my hand down the button of his pants. But before I can unzip his pants he flips us over so he is now on top of me.

He takes my hands into his and brings them up to his lips to kiss my knuckles softly, his eyes never leaving mine. He looks so handsome that a renewed kind of ache takes over my body as I try to reach out and pull him down in a kiss but he intertwines our fingers together before pinning my hands and arms on the bed. I let out a whimper of protest and he just gives me a smile as he holds me still. His eyes twinkle in the light darkness of the room while the storm rages outside. But I know he will not make me wait until I go insane for him to kiss me, he leans down and kisses me softly and I actually sigh in satisfaction. "Gale…" I hope he deciphers the strong need I have for him through me saying his name in a needy whisper. He just continues to give me gentle kisses but these kisses never lack the passion he holds.

"I never blame you about Prim." I say out of the blue. He squeezes my hands to tell me that he is listening and that I should continue. "It's true I cannot help it but to think about you designing the bombs with Beetee but when it comes down to it, you are still not at fault. I know you…" Tears hurt my eyes as I remember Prim, my precious little sister. A sob slips out of my lips and the tears fall from my eyes, he kisses them away. "I know you l-love her as much as I do… Y-You will n-n-never hurt her… She trusts and loves you l-like an older brother… And I… I-I'm grateful that you were always there for h-her and m-my mother." My chest starts to feel lighter and lighter as he finally unlocks my heart and enable it to let my feelings pour out completely. "I d-didn't want you to go away… I didn't know that you were l-like s-saying g-goodbye w-when you handed that bow and a-arrow to me. I just realized it when I was informed you are staying in 2…" He kisses my forehead.

"I'm sorry…" He kisses me on the lips before pressing his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left… I was a coward." He says but no, I am the coward. "I should have stayed with you even if you hated me instead of hiding… I'm so sorry, Catnip." I kiss him lightly. "I've always wanted to send you a letter or give you a call but… I was too afraid." I understand, Gale.

"You returned… that's all that matters." I whisper to him. He releases my hands and I instinctively wrap my arms around his torso. "And you are still the bravest man I know… why send me letters or give me calls when you can just show up here without any of that?" I try to lighten up the mood and he smiles at me. I place my hand on his cheek and he leans into my touch. "I was calling out to you after I shot Coin…" He stiffens and looks at me. "You are the only one I can still trust despite everything… I wanted you to shoot me because I just wanted to end it all… even if I know you won't do it. Still I knew that if I call out to you, you will come and never let something bad happen to me." He holds the hand I was cupping his cheek with tightly in his.

"But I…" I notice the pain and regret in his voice. I know what he's thinking. He is thinking that he didn't come at that time. He didn't visit me in the hospital. He didn't show up to me for two years. He thinks that he failed me again. The first time is when Prim died.

"I knew you were watching though…" I know that he watches everything with everyone, my futile attempts at suicide, my slow descent to insanity… my pain. He refuses to look in my eyes.

"They won't let me see you. Said that you will just get worse especially with the idea that you thought I am the cause of Prim's death. Paylor even gave me piles of documents to review so that something will occupy my time so I couldn't try and sneak to visit you." I hate the thought that they reinforce in his mind that I was blaming him for Prim's death. But I am still the one to blame. I was the one who acted and treated him like he was the murderer of my little sister.

"You are here now… Don't leave me again please." Tears spill from my eyes again. I cannot bear the thought of him leaving and staying out of my grasp. He holds me close.

"I won't be going anywhere. I'll stay here and cause all the kinds of trouble with you." I laugh a little knowing that he just mimicked my words back at that time when he could barely stay awake from all the pain and medicine mixing in his body.

"Same here." I say and kiss him passionately but then he pulls away to settle next to me. He pulls me into his arms and I rest my head on his shoulder. His arms wrap around me protectively. I can never feel safer. We just lie there for a few minutes with our pants still wet but neither of us cares enough to move away in our embrace to remove the uncomfortable pants.

"Catnip…" He says my name against my hair and I just hum in reply. "Why were you mad when we were in the forest?" I blush upon remembering my childish antics. But I do not think it is a wise idea to keep my reasons for what happened a while ago to myself after all, we already talk about the more important things.

"I… I…" I swallow the lump in my throat. I do not know why I am having difficulties to blurt this one out. "I was jealous." I hope that he will not ask any further.

"Jealous?... Jealous of Annie?" Now I want to evaporate in his arms. I know he is looking at my face so I just give him a small nod. He laughs and now I want to hit him but his arms feel so good around me so I decided to remain unmoving in his embrace.

"T-The lake is special you know!" I am now blushing deeply I can tell that without looking in a mirror. I prop myself on my elbows so I can look at his face. He was smiling at me… in a very smug way I want to wipe it off. "I-It holds a lot of memories! I… I just felt like the memories are getting ruined when other people go to it." Why am I still reasoning out? He will find it funny in any other way.

"What memories specifically?" I do not really like the glint he has in his eyes right now. It somehow reminds me of how Finnick will look when he is trying to seduce or manipulate someone. I do not even know other guys can do it especially Gale. He is not really the playful or teasing type. But maybe this look works for every handsome guy out there? I do not really want to know but the way he is looking at me right now makes me feel a burning hot ache down there.

"Y-You know… with my f-father… a-and when we – " He leans in close to me and I close my eyes waiting for his kiss but it never came.

"Ah yes I know…" is that a seductive purr I hear from him. I open my eyes to check if it's still Gale and not Finnick. Maybe I am just a little disturbed of Johanna's musings earlier. "Memories when you taught me how to swim." I thought he will say something embarrassing so when he said that I nodded enthusiastically as a response. "And maybe that one time when you lose your bra when we were swimming." I gasp in shock. I cannot believe he just said that!

"O-Of course not!" Why is he embarrassing me? I do not want to talk about anything involving the lake anymore. "It's not really the memories… I was just jealous because you are so close to Annie." I finally admit the other reason of my irrationality a while ago.

"Okay." His voice is normal now. I know I was just imagining all those seductive stuffs a while ago. Maybe it's just because we are currently lying half naked in each other's arms. He pulls me close and I rest my head on his chest to listen to the sound of his beating heart. "Why exactly is the lake so precious?" He asks as he traces random patterns on the skin of my bare back. His light touches tickle me but this kind of ticklish feeling is really good. It just makes me press myself onto him more. He places his right hand under my chin and makes me look up at him.

He is waiting for an answer. I inch my face closer to his. My fingers touch and trace his dark brows. I then move them along the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, his jawline, his lips… My eyes follow the path my fingers take. I then look up into his eyes. The eyes that can see through me. The eyes I am so familiar with. The eyes I love looking at. Then his question rings in my head. _Why exactly is the lake so precious?_ I move in to kiss him but before I fully press my lips against his. I whisper my answer against them.

"Because that is the place where I love you…" The moment those words escape my lips, there is this warm sensation spreading from within my chest to the rest of my body. We indulge ourselves again in passionate kisses. I let out a squeal when he suddenly gets up and carries me in his arms bridal style as he walks into the bathroom. I happily wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a kiss. He continues kissing me and it is amazing how he managed to get us under the shower without running into anything.

The warm water hits our skin and I let out a surprise squeak. He places me back on my feet and his hands work on my pants hurriedly. I fumble with his pants as well. Soon we just stand there in our last piece of garment. I place my hands on his shoulders in an almost hesitant way because I started to feel self-conscious. His hands grasp my hips and pull me flush against him. I cannot look away from his eyes as he leans down to place a quick kiss on my lips. A smile plays over his lips and a chuckle escapes his mouth. I am staring at his lips now wondering how long he will drag this on.

"What's in your mind, Catnip?" He whispers, his lips almost touching mine. I look back up into his eyes. The mischievous glint he had in his eyes earlier is now back and I find myself glued on the spot. "Hmm?" He brings a hand up to push a few strands of my hair back before placing a kiss on my forehead. His hands proceed to move along my back making me press myself into him more. My heart is thumping really fast now and the heat consuming my body suddenly feels unbearable.

"Nothing… but you." I whisper back with my eyes close. He kisses me hard and from the way his hands start to touch places of my body he did not to touch before, I know that the wait is over. I can be with him with every fiber of my being. No more acts. No more pretending. It is time for me to be as close to him as possible. I can think of everything else later. He is the only one that matters to me now.

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><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

Peeta stared at the door of Katniss' room. She was not inside when he checked up on her and now he is contemplating if he should check up on Annie and Finnick. He was thinking that maybe she is with them. He made his way to Annie's room. He raised his hand to knock but stopped in midway. "What if Katniss is not here?" Fear filled his blue eyes as he averted them to look at the door a few doors down from Annie's room. He took in a deep breath. He thought that it is better if he wouldn't know. He thought that what he doesn't know won't hurt him but as he made his way towards the stairs he heard something that made him stop in his tracks and want to tear _that door _down.

"Gale!" Peeta could recognize Katniss' voice anywhere. Different emotions surged through him as his feet moved on their own accord. He then found himself in front of Gale's door. There were faint noises coming from the room. Different noises he never dreamed of hearing, from the tell-tale creaking of the bed, the headboard slamming into the wall in a rhythmic way to hushed voices and suppressed moans. Just then the sound he dreaded the most reappeared in his mind.

"_She's really quite a piece of work, isn't she?" _It was none other than that little voice inside his head that belongs to the part of himself created by the Capitol that hates Katniss wholeheartedly. He swallowed and tried to keep the little voice away. _"She does not love you… She never loved you. All she feels for you is __**pity**__. She knows you do not have anything left but her because she took it all away from you… your friends, your brothers, your mother, your father, your home, your future. And now she tries to deceive you again by continuing her little act of loving you."_

Peeta balled his hands into fists tightly as he tried his best to deny everything his own mind thinks. His mind started to label Katniss of different names. _Mutt. Traitor. Liar. User. Slut_… He clenched his teeth as he started to pull on his hair hoping that maybe if he can pull all his hair out, the voice will be pulled out as well. "S-She's not…" He said to himself softly. _"Then why is she in his room not yours? Why is she in there with him and not you? Why is she making lo–_" Peeta bit his lip hard enough to draw blood before he stormed down the stairs and run out of the house into the heavy rain. He ignored Johanna's confused calls. He went into his house and locked himself in.

He then glared at the imaginary shadows looming inside the house. "_Katniss…Katniss… Katniss…" _He could hear those lizard mutts again. Those mutts that killed Finnick. Those mutts who whispered Katniss' name like a cursed mantra. Those mutts programmed to kill her. Those mutts… "Katniss… Katniss… _Katniss…_" And to his horror he started saying her name like those mutts did. His eyes seemed to be only seeing red now and his whole body aches to get his hands on her. His mind showed him gory images of himself snapping her neck, stabbing her over and over, decapitating her… _killing her_. He screamed a blood-curling scream before he collapses on his floor. His nails dug into the wood of the floor and he raked them over the surface, making his fingers bleed. "K-Katniss… I… I love you…" He clutched onto his head as the little voice inside it seem to increase in its volume.

"_Love her all you want… while she is busy loving and fucking someone else._" Images of Katniss lying on Gale's bed naked and covered in sweat with a satisfied look on her face tortured his mind. Images of her saying she loves Gale broke his heart. Reality hurts him so much and Peeta couldn't do anything but to fight his inner battle alone. This battle is worse than the arena because he knows there is no way of winning in this battle cause his only salvation is not within his grasp anymore. Katniss.

And from the very back corner of his mind, he could hear President Snow's mocking laughter. The same laughter he heard whenever he was being injected with the tracker jacker venom and his memories of Katniss were being distorted by the poison. He could handle that more because despite the immense pain, a little part of his mind refused to let go of the truth. This time, it's different. He could not ignore Snow's laughter now because he knew that he has no escape from this. There is no tracker jacker venom that will destroy his memories now; it's only the reality that he cannot distort no matter what he does. It's the truth he wants to be a lie. It's the reality he doesn't want to be real.

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><p>Poor Peeta :( That's it for the seventh chapter of this story. Please do read and review! Thank you~ ^_^<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary: **Katniss knows that nothing can ever be the same again between her and Gale. She knows she shouldn't act like she's got a hold over him. She was the one who pushed him away. She knows that maybe it's better for each one of them if she let him go. But as stubborn as she always have been, she wants to try now and see if she could ever have a happy ending with the first man she trusted her everything with. But now it's not only her who needs to choose. Gale must make his own choice as well. This is a story revolving around Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and Annie.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Just a little violence ans sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>The Choices We Made<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

**Gale's POV**

I have dreamed of this moment for a hundred of times. I actually conjured up different romantic scenarios in my head reserve for this first time, from beds covered in different colored petals to little candles lighting up that little cabin by the lake. But taking her in this room in her house at the Victor's Village is my least favorite in my little dreams and yet it happened to be the most perfect. I know things like this should not be planned but days ago I can only have this moment happen in my dreams. And I almost lose all hope that it will ever happen. But here she is now, my Catnip, lying in my arms. She is so soft and warm that I know this is real and not some dream I will soon wake up from.

She is fascinated by the little invisible patterns her small but strong fingers draw on my bare chest. I never saw her eyes this alive since the Games and now I know she is finally back. The real Katniss Everdeen, the one I survived with and grew up with not some little princess of a Victor pretending to be crazy in love to survive and also not the face of the rebellion, not the Mockingjay. Right now, in my arms, she is just Katniss and I will not want to have it any other way. She looks up at me and even after what we just did the innocence her eyes hold just makes me ache to touch her all over again.

"What are you thinking?" She asks and I notice just now how her lips look so ravaged. I can only smile in satisfaction. She moves herself along my body so that she can hover on top of me. Her dark hair falls around us like curtain. She kisses me gently and my arms automatically lock themselves around her body. "What's in your mind?" She sounds so eager to know. I give her a naughty smile and I know she understands because she shakes her head disapprovingly. She starts to move away from me with a smile on her face but I won't let her slip away just like that.

"I think I want to do it again." I said and she laughs as she tries to escape my grasp. She giggles when I place soft kisses on the hollow of her throat. I flip us over so that I am on top of her again. She continues to giggle as she wraps her arms around my neck. I then bury my face on the crook of her neck. "Well you ask me what I am thinking… I'm just being honest." I whisper on her ear before I proceed to bite her earlobe playfully. I feel her take in a deep breath and I take this chance to kiss her deeply. She sighs in the kiss and I move my left hand to worship her body again.

My hand moves to give her breast a light squeeze making her moan. I then slide it across her lean abdomen and as I move my hand lower, I can feel my body heat up and I start to sweat. "Catnip." I whisper against her lips and she parts her legs welcoming me between them. I slip my right hand under her head and angle my face in a way so I can kiss her deeper. My left hand runs along her smooth thigh and she started to moan louder when I place my hand in between us and touch her.

"G-Gale…" She gasps out and I swallow before stopping my ministrations. I know I cannot keep her to myself all day long. We are already staying in this room for quite some time after all. It won't take long now before someone knocks on the door. I look at her confused face. I just give her a smile before kissing the tip of her nose.

"We better get out." I sit up and slip out of the bed. I then proceed to get some clothes to wear from the little luggage I brought with me. I look back at Katniss while I button my pants up. She seems to be thinking deeply about something and by the look on her face; I know I do not have to ask what she is thinking about. I grab a white button up long-sleeved shirt and put it on. I do not really know what to say to her regarding what she is thinking about right now. I move back to the bed and touch her cheek with my hand. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. I know it is hard for her. I know that no one will make this any easier for her. She leans into my touch and then she moves so that she is on her knees, before she wraps herself around me. I hold her close. She stares into my eyes and cups my face with her warm hands. I sigh because of her touch. She accidentally presses over the bruise she gave me last night and I cannot help it but to flinch. She smiles and places a soft kiss on my bruise before hugging me again.

"It will be alright, Catnip." I try to sound so sure of my words but I know it is not enough to relieve her. I just continue to hold her, hoping that everything will be fine.

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><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

By the time Katniss and Gale showed themselves again to the rest of the people in the house it was almost 6 p.m. They saw Johanna eating some potato chips while watching some television program with little Finnick drinking from his baby bottle quietly next to her on the couch. Brown eyes scrutinized them and Katniss held her breath.

"Annie's making dinner." Johanna simply informed them before looking down to check if Finnick has already finished his bottle. Once she saw that the child was far from finishing, she turned her attention back to the television. Gale walked into the kitchen to help Annie out while Katniss took a seat next to Finnick.

"Where's Peeta and Haymitch?" Johanna shrugged and Katniss had this bad feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She watched the brown haired girl shift on her seat for a moment.

"Peeta… He runs out of the house earlier without saying any word to us. Haymitch followed him." Katniss quickly stood up and moved towards the door when it opened. There stood Haymitch and Peeta at the doorway. The wind was blowing furiously behind them. Her gray eyes were locked on Peeta who was standing behind Haymitch. The blonde boy was giving her a small smile.

"Are you going somewhere, sweetheart?" Katniss barely registered Haymitch's question. She was thinking if Peeta knows about her and Gale.

"N-No… I…" She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced out a smile. "I just thought of fetching you guys. Annie's making dinner. I think it will be such a loss if you won't be able to taste her cooking." She managed to reason out smoothly. Haymitch laughed.

"That is why we are here. There is no way I am missing a good dinner." Katniss' smile widened and as soon as Haymitch disappeared to somewhere in the house, she moved to Peeta.

"Where have you been?" She asked. There was concern in her tone. Peeta busied himself by fixing the umbrellas.

"I just went to my house and made some cheese buns, your favorite." He handed her a brown paper bag that felt very warm in her hands. She was thankful but then she caught sight of the bandages on both of his hands.

"What happened to you?" She secured the paper bag in one arm while her other arm moved to inspect his injuries but before she could take hold of his hand, he moved them away. She looked up into his blue eyes; she caught anger flashing in them for a moment before her eyes saw a smile being etched on his lips.

"These are nothing. I got a little distracted a while ago. I accidentally placed my hand on the running electric stove. It hurt a lot but all I did was laugh at my own stupidity!" He was laughing now but Katniss could not bring herself to laugh with him because she had the feeling that he was making this reason up.

"Hey give me some of those." Johanna come up to them and snatched the brown bag from Katniss. She took one of the cheese buns and munched on it with a contented look on her face. They then heard the sound of something more likely to be a plastic bottle hitting the coffee table. The three of them turned their heads to see Finnick looking innocently at his empty milk bottle which he just thrown away and ended up at the foot of the coffee table. Johanna let out a sigh before she went up to the child. She knelt in front of the baby so she can look at him straight in the eyes.

"You should stop doing that Finn or else all your bottles will be broken." She said then pinched his chubby cheek playfully. She giggled when Finnick made an irritated face. They watched as the child climbed down the couch and walked on the carpeted floor with such cute ease. Gale was just emerging from the kitchen and when Finnick saw him, the child increased his pace to get to him. The dark haired man laughed as the little boy started to wobble. He gathered Finnick in his arms before he falls on the floor.

"No running for you yet, buddy." Gale said and kissed Finn's forehead. The child just chuckled at him as he clapped his hands happily. Gray eyes locked on deep blue ones. Gale knew that Peeta knows whatever happened between him and Katniss today. The hateful look he was giving him said it all.

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><p>When they all settled down for dinner, everyone seemed to be in a good mood or maybe they just all pretended to be in a good mood. Gale noticed that Haymitch was having difficulties moving his right arm and the older man winces when he moves it from time to time then he saw Peeta's bandaged hands. He couldn't help it but to think something bad happened.<p>

"Gale, how long are you guys staying in? I will prepare a special cake on the last day of your stay." Peeta might have noticed that he was looking at his hands so the baker decided to start a conversation with him to draw his attention away from his bandaged hands.

"We have to leave in the late afternoon of the day after tomorrow. We'll take the last train ride." Gale replied and he saw Katniss stiffened. He regretted the fact that he didn't inform her earlier that he has to go so soon.

"So soon? Well I can only hope that you guys will visit us again." Peeta said with a sincere look on his face. Gale gave him a smile.

"We'll surely visit soon." He said. The rest of the dinner went by without much talking.

* * *

><p>Katniss washed the dishes while Haymitch kept her company in the kitchen. Not really because he was busy getting drunk. Johanna was playing cards with Gale and Peeta and Annie was contented by watching them. Haymitch moved to place the glass he used to drink his liquor from in the pile of used dishes Katniss were washing. She brushed her left elbow with his right arm and that was when he let out a pained groan. She gasped in shock and quickly cradled Haymitch's arm gently.<p>

"I'm sorry! What's wrong, Haymitch?" The middle aged man tried to move away from Katniss but she wouldn't let him go.

"It's nothing, sweetheart." He forced out a reassuring but not convincing enough smile but she wouldn't have any of that.

"Don't lie to me!" Her eyes frantically inspected his arm. She then noticed the reddish spot on his forearm close to his elbow. As she looked at it longer, the red spread on the fabric of his sleeve and that was when she realized he was injured and was bleeding. "You're bleeding!" She rolled the sleeve of his shirt just to be greeted by a blood-soaked bandaged arm. She looked up at Haymitch. He was refusing to look at her eyes. "W-Why… H-How… How did you get this?" Her heart was thumping so hard against her ribcage now. Images of Haymitch and Peeta at her doorstep earlier flooded her mind. Johanna's words about Peeta storming out of the house and Haymitch following him rung in her head. Haymitch pushed her away gently.

"It's just a scratch. It's from a little accident in my house." Haymitch lied and he knew that Katniss wouldn't believe him so he did what he can only do to stop her from knowing the truth. He pretended to be so fucking drunk that he didn't want to talk to her anymore then he left the house with Katniss standing at the doorway calling out to him. She was about to run after him when Gale stopped her.

"Katniss, he's just drunk." Johanna reasoned, saying that Katniss should neither worry nor press into the situation more.

"N-No… He's…" Her gray eyes caught Peeta's blue ones. She saw the guilt in his eyes before he looked away. "P-Peeta…" She croaked out. He looked at her. She wanted to say that she wants to talk to him privately but she couldn't get the words out. She was afraid that he knew about her and Gale and that he was very hurt and angry about it. She didn't think she was ready to face the already broken man she even broke more. She looked down as she relaxed in Gale's arms. "N-No… Nothing." She looked very confused by the way she runs her hands through her unbraided hair. She went back into the kitchen to continue washing the dishes.

"One after another…" Johanna was talking about Katniss' love problems as she placed a card down.

After washing the dishes, Katniss excused herself. She stayed in her room just like how she stayed in there the previous night. Gale wanted to follow her but he didn't want to aggravate Peeta more so he just stayed downstairs and pretended to be enjoying the card game with Johanna and Peeta. He was not the kind of man who will go rubbing the painful truth on other people's faces.

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><p><em>She watched Annie run into the safety of Finnick's strong arms and how the two held each other like they will not let anyone separate them ever again. She felt happy for them. Her gray eyes turned to the spot in the infirmary where in several doctors clad in white laboratory coats inspect a man. Her legs moved on their own accord. She knew that it was <em>_**him**__ and that he is now safe. "Peeta!" She was standing at the foot of the hospital bed. He looked exhausted and out of it. He also grew a lot thinner than the last time she saw him on the television. His eyes looked dead but he was looking at the doctors' faces one by one when he spotted her among the crowd. Her heart jumped and she smiled at him. Tears hurt her eyes and she couldn't feel anything but relief now that he is safe. She watched him struggle to say her name. He pushed the doctors away with all the strength he could muster so he can reach her. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, her body moved so that she can welcome him in her arms._

_It was already too late when she noticed the angry and mad look in his blue eyes and then instead of his arms pulling her in a warm embrace, his fingers locked around her throat coldly as he started to choke the life out of her. She was slowly slipping into darkness. The people around her couldn't act in time and she barely registered Gale calling out her name in a pained and weak voice. She knew he couldn't save her at that time, he was injured and the doctors were surely holding him down. She couldn't breathe. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Haymitch trying to pull Peeta away from her but Peeta was a lot stronger than him. Finnick soon joined the picture. He easily towered over Peeta and she could tell he was trying not to hurt Peeta but he soon had no choice but to punch him on the face hard enough to make him loosen his vice grip on her. She fell on the cold hard floor choking and struggling to breathe. Her chest burned painfully due to the lack of air._

"_Let go of me! I'll kill her! Kill her! You mutt! __**I'll kill you!**__" She never heard Peeta sound so mad, the killing intent dripped from his voice like venom. _

Katniss woke up, eyes wide and breathing really hard. Some of her hair stuck on her face because of how sweaty she was. She noticed that she was trembling. She moved her hand and touched her throat. She could almost feel the painful bruises resurfacing on her skin. It has been two years but the nightmares kept on haunting her and she knew they will never stop in doing so. A knock on her door made her jump. She looked at it with fear in her eyes. She slipped out of her bed and shakily made her way towards her door. "W-Who is it?" She tried to sound as normal as possible.

"It's me, Catnip." The moment her mind registered that it was Gale, she swung the door open and threw herself at him. Gale stood there frozen for a minute before he held her close. "What's wrong? You're trembling." He said and stroked her hair with his fingers in order to comfort her. She just buried her face in the crook of his neck and shook her head. They stood there like that for a while but she soon loosened her hold on him. He pulled her close again and placed a firm kiss on her forehead. "Whatever it is, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He whispered on her hair. She slipped her arms around his middle and embraced him loosely. "Come. Some warm milk will be good for you." Gale said taking her hand and led her downstairs.

Johanna, Annie and Finnick have all gone to bed. It was almost 11 p.m. after all. Gale was not really used to sleeping early so he stayed in the living room, killing some more of his time by watching television programs. He informed Katniss that Peeta said that he will be staying in his own house tonight. He said that he better clean his house a bit since it was looking like an abandoned house already.

"He knows about us, right?" Katniss asked as she wrapped her fingers around the warm cup of milk Gale prepared for her. "I do not want to hurt anyone anymore but I still keep doing it! Why can't I stop? I… I-I don't–" She started crying. Gale was feeling bad that ever since he returned all she did was to cry most of the time. He didn't like it. He took a seat next to her on the couch.

"I know it won't be easy for all of us, Katniss... Especially for you." He took her hand in his. "Peeta… I know he will someday understand. Maybe not now but he will soon accept it. He will realize that he didn't really lose you because he will always have a special place in your heart. You guys might not be bonded in that way anymore but it's better to accept things for a better future." Katniss leaned on him. "He is a good man. I know how devoted he is to you… He will understand. I know he will." Gale pulled Katniss close to him. The two of them soon went back upstairs and settled in her room.

"Sometimes Peeta sleeps here with me." Gale stiffened for a moment but he soon relaxed knowing that all they did was just sleep. He had what happened earlier in his room as proof to that. "There were still nightmares even if we sleep together but at least when I wake up from the horrible nightmares someone close comforts me." Katniss looked in Gale's eyes. "I'm glad you are here, Gale… Last night… I had a dreamless sleep. No nightmares." She squeezed his hand telling him that he was able to chase her nightmares away. He smiled at her.

"Sleep all you want now. There will be no more nightmares." He said pulling her close.

"No more nightmares." She whispered softly as she closed her eyes.

"Right. No more nightmares…" Gale kissed her forehead and secured her in his arms. He knew he will protect her from anything. He won't leave her side again. This time they will do everything right.

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><p>End of Chapter Eight~ Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Thank you ^_^<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary: **Katniss knows that nothing can ever be the same again between her and Gale. She knows she shouldn't act like she's got a hold over him. She was the one who pushed him away. She knows that maybe it's better for each one of them if she let him go. But as stubborn as she always have been, she wants to try now and see if she could ever have a happy ending with the first man she trusted her everything with. But now it's not only her who needs to choose. Gale must make his own choice as well. This is a story revolving around Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and Annie.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

* * *

><p><strong>The Choices We Made<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

_A twelve year old girl with flowing blonde hair stood at the doorway of the humble house of the Everdeens. Her soft blue eyes were trained on the path where she was expecting him to appear anytime soon. It was getting late. But there was no need to worry about wandering in the streets at night since the Games are on meaning District 12 has its electricity so that the people can watch the 74th Hunger Games._

"_Prim? Get inside. Aren't you cold?" The mother of Primrose Everdeen called out to her._

"_I'm waiting for Gale, mother." As if her words held magic in them, the man she was waiting for appeared in her line of vision. Her face lit up and she run to him. The young man chuckled as the little girl encased him in a tight hug._

"_I got a good haul today." He said with a glad look on his face but the girl looked sad._

"_You__'__ve__ been__ spending__ a __lot__ more __time __in__ the __woods__ since __Katniss__ left__ for__ the__ arena__… __You__ m-might__… __I__ don__'__t__ w-want __anything__ bad__ to__ happen __to__ you.__" __Prim __was__ on __the__ verge__ of__ crying.__ Gale__ reached __down__ a__ little__ and __the __next__ thing __Prim __knew, __she__ was __holding __onto __him __as __he__ carried __her __back__ to __her__ house._

"_You don't have to think about me. I'm fine and I'll be fine… All you have to think about is Catnip. We have a promise to one another. I know she will keep her promise and will return here to us… to you, Prim." Gale just smiled when Prim placed a kiss on his cheek._

_They __settled__ for__ dinner__ but__ it__ was__ really __hard __to__ eat__ while __the__ Games __are __playing__ on __their__ television.__ Prim __sat__ next __to__ Gale__ on__ the __small __couch__ they __have __in __their__ house__ and__ held__ onto __his __hand__ as__ they__ watched__ the__ broadcast __of__ her__ sister__'__s __Games.__ Every__day__ Gale __would__ come__ over __and __watched __the__ Games__ with__ Prim.__ He__ knew__ her__ mother __wouldn__'__t __really __be__ able__ to__ serve __as __an__ anchor __for __the __little__ girl__ so __he __took__ the __job__ to__ be __her __support.__ After __all,__ Prim__ served __as__ his __support __as__ well.__ It__ was__ not __easy__ for__ him __to__ watch __Katniss __suffer__ in__ the__ arena__ but __he__ knew__ that__ if__ it__ was__ hard __for__ him__ then__ it __was__ harder__ for__ Prim._

_When__ they__ watched__ that__ girl__ tribute__ from __District __11 __got __taken __out, __Prim__ cried.__ She__ was__ trembling __in __his__ arms__ and__ he__ knew__ why__ she__ was __crying__ and __why__ she__ was __trembling__ like __that._

"_That __could__ have__ been __me,__ Gale__…" __The __twelve __year__ old__ cried__ on __his__ shoulders._

"_It__ wasn__'__t__ you, __Prim. __Katniss__ is__ there __right__ now __to__ make__ sure__ that__ nothing __bad__ will__ happen __to__ you.__" __He __whispered __on__ her__ soft__ golden __locks.__ The__ girl__ moved__ herself__ so__ that__ she__ could look into his eyes__._

"_Because__ of__ me__ Katniss__ might __die__…" __The __horror__ and __the__ pain __written __on__ her__ face__ tugged __at__ his __already __bleeding __heart.__ Tears __stung __his __eyes.__ He__ pulled__ the__ girl__ close__ to__ him __again._

"_N-No__… __No,__ Prim__… __Catnip__ will__ return.__ She__ will__ return __because __of__ you.__ I__'__m__ sure__ of __it.__" __He__ stayed __at __the__ Everdeens__ that__ whole__ night.__ Prim__ wouldn__'__t__ let__ him__ go __and__ he__ knew __that__ he__ couldn__'__t__ leave__ Prim__ crying __to__ herself__ that__ night.__ During __the __night, __Prim __held__ both__ of__ his __hands __on __her__ lap__ as__ she__ was __sitting __on__ Katniss__' __bed._

"_I__ love__ you,__ Gale.__" __For__ a__ moment__ there, __he__ almost__ panicked.__ Prim__ was__ just __twelve __at __that __time__ but__ that __didn__'__t __mean __she __wouldn__'__t __grow__ up__ to be a fine lady anymore.__ He__ didn__'__t __want __to__ come __to__ the __moment __where__ he__ would__ end__ up__ hurting__ Katniss__ and__ Prim.__ And it didn't feel right. Prim shouldn't be seeing him under that kind of light. She__ laughed__ at__ the __look__ on__ his __face.__ She__ hugged __him __tightly__ before__ reaching__ up __to __place__ a__ soft__ kiss __on__ his __cheek. __Her__ blue__ eyes__ looked __so__ beautiful__ with__ the__ little __fire__ from __the __candles __being __reflected__ on__ them.__ The__ electricity __was __cut__ off__ since__ the__ day__'__s__ broadcast__ of__ the__ Games__ is__ done._

_"It's not like that, silly! I know what you feel about Katniss and I know you are very special to her as well."__ Prim looked somewhat older at that time. No, maybe she just sounded older. Gale smiled and it warmed his heart knowing that he got a special spot in Katniss' heart even if she's busy playing lovers with Peeta at the moment in order to survive. "I __love__ you __like__ how__ I__ love__ Katniss.__ I__ love__ you __like__ how__ I__ love __Mom. __And__…" __He__ watched __the__ girl__ looked __down __at__ her__ lap.__ He__ waited __patiently __for__ her__ to__ continue._

"_And__ I__ love__ you__ just__ like__ how__ I__ loved __Dad.__" __Prim__ held __him__ close__ again.__ "__You __smell__ like __him__… __You __smell__ like__ home.__ When__ you__'__re__ around __we__ feel__ safe__… __Thank __you __for__ always__ being __there,__ Gale.__" __The__ sincerity __that __emanated __from__ Prim__ that__ night__ almost__ made __him __cry.__ So__ when__ he __finally__ convinced__ Prim__ to__ sleep__ and __promised __her__ he__ won__'__t __go__ anywhere,__ she__ smiled__ at__ him__ warmly __while__ holding __onto __one __of__ his __hands._

"_After__ the __Games,__ she__ will__ return __to__ us.__You__ will__ always __protect __Katniss __from__ then__ on,__right?__" __He__ smiled__ back__ at__ her__ while__ he__ squeezed__ her__ hand__ a__l ittle._

"_I__'__ll__ always__ protect__ her __no__ matter__ what__… __I__ won__'__t __leave __her__ side.__"_

_It__ was __a__ promise._

* * *

><p>Twenty year old Gale Hawthorne stared at the ceiling of Katniss' room. He couldn't help it but to think about Prim from time to time. He treated her like she was his little sister. She was his little sister. She <strong>is<strong> her little sister. **The sister he had vowed to keep safe…** _**The sister killed by one of his death traps.**_ A nagging pain filled his chest and he grimaced. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking over at Katniss' peacefully sleeping form. He slowly slipped out of her bed. Sleep wouldn't consume him no matter how long he stayed in bed. He figured that out two hours after Katniss had fallen asleep but he decided to leave the bed once she was already _deeply_ asleep.

He slipped out of her room quietly. An image of Prim flashed in his mind then he had to rest his back against the wall for a while and let the pain pass. Even if Katniss had voiced her forgiveness and understanding of what happened two years ago, the guilt continues to eat him from the inside. After the war, the nightmares didn't stop for him. They just changed. Katniss isn't dying in his nightmares anymore unlike the ones he had when she was still in the arena. His nightmares now are filled with Prim dying… over and over. The worst part is she always dies in his nightmares with her blood dripping from his trembling hands and her lifeless body lying before his feet.

The mere thought of it upsets his stomach making him want to go to the washroom and throw up.

Gale might not be a Victor. He never got reaped for the Hunger Games even if the odds were not in his favor back then. He was not thrown in the arena with twenty-three other people dying to kill him. But just like all the Victors who were able to survive their Games and the war, nightmares haunted him to no end.

Katniss told him that the face of every single person you killed will haunt you for the rest of your life. But no, the people he killed when they went to the Capitol to rescue Peeta and the others don't haunt him. He was able to see the faces of the Capitol soldiers before he went in for the kill. When he blew up that mountain, the Nut. He just felt satisfaction knowing that they were getting close on defeating the Capitol. Yes there was this little voice in his head that was whispering to him that what he was doing and thinking was wrong. That he was no different from Snow. But for him... the end justifies the mean.

It's really hard for him. Katniss has forgiven him… but he doesn't know if he can forgive himself for what happened to Prim. He decided to stay at District 2 because he couldn't really forgive himself. He was living his life all those years to protect his and Katniss' family but still… Prim died and the death blow was dealt by his bombs. The little voice in his head always reminded him of the crimes he had done. And he knew there was no way he could change anything that already happened. They were at war. Like most of the rebels, he wanted to get back at the Capitol with every possible method he could materialize at that time. He didn't imagine that he will lose someone very dear to him during the process. He just wanted revenge at the Capitol. He was blinded by his anger and desperation. It was already too late when he realized his mistakes. Prim died and she will never be coming back. He was the one who killed her. He was part of it no matter how many times he tried to phrase it in a way that will ease his guilt even just a little. And when they finally won, there was no satisfaction. He lost Prim... and Katniss. It will never be the same again even if Katniss says she forgives and understands him.

* * *

><p>"Gale?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He saw Annie standing down the hallway in front of the room she shares with her son, Finnick.<p>

"What are you doing standing there? You should be sleeping with Finnick." He walked up to her and gave her a smile hoping that would make her not worry about him.

"You're thinking of that sweet young lady again, aren't you?" It was a harmless question but Gale couldn't help it but to get affected. Annie of course knew Prim. The sweet young girl along with her mother always assisted her back in District 13 after Katniss and the others left for the Capitol. And even now, Prim and Katniss' mother helps Annie. She was even the one who delivered her child back at District 4. Annie liked her and her mother's company. But one day, the young girl stopped visiting her quarters. The war ended but neither Finnick nor the young girl returned to see her again. Annie noticed the guilt in Gale's eyes. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I'm alright, Annie." He said to her softly.

"I didn't say anything about you being unwell." She smiled softly at him before taking a seat on the carpeted floor. She tugged on Gale's hand telling him to sit next to her. The two of them sat there against the white wall, no one dared to speak a word for a few minutes. Annie was holding onto his hand. "You didn't want it to end like that..." She said to him softly.

"But... still I-" She squeezed his hand.

"It... I-It's like the Games." He felt her struggle to remain composed. "Most of the tributes didn't want to kill each other. But they had to survive... for their family... for their loved ones. It wasn't the fame... It's the thought that they will be returning to their families that drove them to fight to death." Annie was surprised of herself that she could talk about the Games now even just a little.

"My... My District p-partner in the Games is a very c-close friend... He had a big family. S-Several siblings to feed and a sickly m-mother to take care of. He... H-He was such a good man. I-I'm the o-only child. My f-father become a drunkard when my m-mother passed away. During the Games, I t-thought that my p-partner should be the o-one to return h-home... But t-then h-he... he... h-he protected me..." Gale pulled Annie into his arms.

"Shushhh... You don't have to continue talking about it." Annie was crying but she hasn't lost it.

"I d-didn't want him to pro-protect me... I... I-I k-killed him... Be-Because I w-was so w-weak h-he died." He run his hands up and down on her forearms to warm her up noting how her skin started to feel cold.

"He just thought you are worth protecting. It's his choice. Finnick did the same. I would've done the same." Gale thought of the time they rescued her from the Capitol. He was the one assigned to get her out of her cell. The moment his gray eyes landed on her broken and ragged form, all he wanted to do was to protect her. He held Annie for a few minutes before she stilled in his arms.

"You're leaving." She said in a shaky voice. Gale didn't know if she was asking him if he was leaving or she was stating that he was leaving but he didn't miss the sadness in her voice.

"Not yet… I'll have to finish a number of things back at District 4 first." He knew that Annie will be sad about this but he didn't know how he can phrase it better as to not to hurt her.

"You're leaving." The blank look was present in her eyes and this activated the caring side of him immediately. He pulled her close to him.

"I'll still drop by. There is no way they will let me leave my job completely anyway so I'll have to be in 4 every week. I might stay there for a day or two. I'll visit you and Finn every chance I get when I'm there." He said in a reassuring way. She didn't say anything. She wasn't doing anything as well. Gale felt like he was holding a rag doll close. "Annie…" He shook her a little. She looked at him. Sadness was in those green eyes of her.

"But Gale… What about Finn?" At the thought of the little child, Gale felt guilt and regret settling in his stomach. "H-He… H-He's so close to you… What will I do if he keeps on crying themoment he realizes you're gone and will not be coming back?" Gale could tell that Annie was scared. She then shook her head. "I-I'm so sorry, Gale… I'm a useless mother… I always rely on other people. I couldn't even take care of myself… How will I even take good care of Finn?" Annie started crying again and she moved her hands to cover her ears. Gale embraced her tighter.

"Don't say such things, Annie. That's not true at all. You are a strong woman and Finn is growing up so well. You're doing a really good job." Gale whispered to her. She choked on her sobs.

"Y-You're lying… I-I can't do it alone… I've always been relying on someone else... I've always r-relied on F-Finnick… B-But h-he's g-gone… Now y-you're leaving… J-Johanna will leave us too…" He noticed the panicked look in her eyes. He started to shake her gently. Annie was slipping out of the grasp of reality again. "I... I-I... I d-don't know... I c-can't h-handle it alone... I-If I l-leave reality... a-nd F-Finn is left u-unattended..." Fear was eveident in her eyes.

"Shushhhh… Stop it, Annie… Stop those thoughts. They're not true…" He kissed the top of her head but then she started to struggle in his arms… in a violent way.

"N-No… No… No… P-Please… Please let go of me… D-Don't hurt me please… I…I-I d-don't know anything…" Gale didn't know what to do. He sat there frozen while Annie was wearing this terrified look on her face. She was inching away from him, trembling from head to toe.

"A-Annie… What are you– " Gale reached his hand out to her. But she then screamed before scrambling on her feet and running away from him as fast as she could. "Annie!" Gale called out to her. Johanna slammed her door open.

"Did I just hear Annie scream?" Johanna didn't get an answer. She watched Gale run after Annie down the stairs. She was about to run after them when she heard Finn crying. That left her no choice but to check on the child first.

Gale grabbed a hold of Annie. She kept on thrashing. The still heavy rain drenched them quickly. She managed to slip from his grasp, falling onto her hands on the muddy ground. The mud dirtied her plain white dress. "I-I… d-don't know anything. D-Don't hurt m-me… Pl-Please… I-I d-don't know where F-Finnick i-is…." She was crying and wiping her face with her dirty hands just like a lost child. He could tell that she was reliving her times when she was imprisoned and tortured at the Capitol.

"Annie… Please… snap out of it." Gale said to her softly before he picked her up. She started thrashing again. He carried her back in the house. Johanna was there waiting for them while she cradles Finn in her arms.

"Let go of me! I-I don't want to d-die… L-Let go!" Annie kept on screaming and thrashing. It didn't take long for Katniss to join them downstairs. "Finnick! Finnick! Help me! W-Where are you? Finnick!" Annie cried helplessly. Katniss watched the thrashing woman calling out to the only one she loves and needs. But that man will never be able to come and help her. Guilt started to tug on her heart again. Finnick Odair, the husband of this woman, is dead because of Katniss Everdeen.

"Annie! Snap out of it! Finnick is dead. H-He's dea–! " Johanna shouted but was cut off.

"Johanna!" Katniss screamed at her shutting the other woman up. But it was too late. Annie was looking at Johanna with wide eyes.

"Y-You… Y-You're lying! You're a liar! Just like everyone else who say he's dead! You're lying to me! He's not dead! You are just like those people from the Capitol! Lying to me! Always lying to me! He promised! He promised he will return to me! Finnick is not dead! He's not dead, you hear me?" The angry and wild look on Annie's face made even Johanna Mason take a step back. "Liar!" Annie tried to attack Johanna but Gale had a secure hold on her waist. He caged Annie in his arms and held her closely. "I need Finnick... Please... I n-need him... Let me go... I can f-find him... I w-will find h-him..." Annie said softly. Her energy was mostly drained because of all the screaming and thrashing she did. She was crying just like a baby.

"He's not. He's not. Shushhhh. They're lying. He's not dead..." He said softly. Johanna got a shocked look on her face and was about to scream bad words at him but Gale gave her a look telling her to leave it to him. Annie did stop thrashing but she kept on crying. "H-He…Finnick will return. He promised didn't he?" Gale said and Annie nodded her head.

"He promised. He promised. He will return…" Katniss placed a hand over her mouth. It was too much for her. Annie has been so fragile from the start and because of her the man who had been her only support died.

"Right. He will… He promised. He'll never break his promise to you, right?" Annie looked up at Gale.

"Right…" She gave him a weak smile. He pushed some strands of her hair sticking on her face back.

"Look… You and Finn will be waiting for him." Gale motioned her to look at her son who was looking at them innocently.

"Finn! My baby!" Annie snatched the child from Johanna. The other woman stayed close worried about the possibility that Annie might hurt the child. Finn squirmed a little in Annie's embrace since his mother was wet from the rain and it felt uncomfortable for him but he didn't refuse her. Annie went up to Katniss. "Katniss…Finnick will return right? I know he told you to tell me that he will, right?" Katniss was at a loss of words. She didn't notice when her tears started falling. Looking at how broken Annie is broke her heart. They said Annie was mad. But this is the first time she sees how mad she is. But she couldn't really say she's mad... Katniss understands the grief and the pain Annie is experiencing.

"Y-Yes… He will…" Katniss tried to stop herself from crying. "A-Annie… I-" Her gray eyes watched the mad woman whisper things to Finn with that far-off look on her face.

"Daddy will be so happy to see you… He will be so proud. We will be together… We'll be happy…" Annie said to Finn softly before turning to Gale. "You'll stay with us until Finnick returns… He asked you to stay with us right?" Gale was hesitant to answer but he knew he couldn't slap that hopeful look off of Annie's face now.

"Y-Yes… I will." Annie moved and embraced him. It didn't take long before she started to cry again. "What's wrong, Annie?" He asked. She just rubbed her face on his clothed chest shaking her head. Finn started to cry and Gale gently get the boy from his mother's unsteady arms.

"I… I-I… I know… H-He's not coming back…" Annie soon lost her consciousness. Gale caught her by the waist with his free arm before she tumbles on the floor. He looked at the woman with sadness in his eyes.

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><p>Katniss took care of Finn while Johanna cleaned Annie and changed her clothes. Gale took a quick shower and changed his clothes as well.<p>

Gale together with Johanna and Katniss stayed downstairs while Annie was sleeping in her room. Finn refused to go to bed. The child was contented just being in Gale's arms.

"I can't believe it… That must be the scariest fit she did for quite a while now." Johanna tried not to sound so bothered.

"It was my fault… I triggered unpleasant thoughts." Gale said. Katniss was looking at him, waiting for him to elaborate but he couldn't bring himself to say that he couldn't stay here in District 12 with Katniss because Annie might go mad. Johanna jumped out of the couch.

"I'm making coffee." She announced in a happy tone before leaving Katniss and Gale to themselves. An awkward silence filled the room.

"Catnip… I want to be with you." Gale said in a firm tone but he refused to look at her.

"But you can't right?... Not for now?" Katniss' voice was soft with understanding. "Is it because of Annie?" She asked. He didn't miss the pain reflected on her gray eyes.

"I promise I'll return here to 12. I know you understand. We can't really leave Annie just like that. It's… It's… It's like how you can't completely let go of Peeta." Katniss opened her mouth to speak but no words come out.

"I… I understand. You don't really have to rush yourself. I'm not pressuring you, Gale. You have a life without me for the past two years. I don't really like the idea of you leaving that life as if it's nothing." She reached out and held one of his hands in hers. She saw Finn looking at her with those innocent sea green eyes of his. She smiled at him.

"You know I'll leave that life for you. We promised to start over. We're just starting." She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze.

"We'll be fine." She moved to place a kiss on his lips. When she pulled away all too quickly for him, he moved to kiss her again but a voice interupts them.

"Yuck." They both turned their heads to Johanna, a cup of coffee in hand and was looking at them with pure disgust written on her face. Katniss and Gale moved away from each other uncomfortably. "Give that child to me. You guys are corrupting him." The three of them shared a laugh and Johanna tried to get Finn in her arms but the child wouldn't bulge. He wanted to stay with Gale and no one will be taking him away.

"Sorry, Jo. Finn is just smart enough to know who can corrupt him more. This is his way of telling you to please back off." Johanna glared at Gale. She glared and he just stared. She soon gave it up and wedged herself between Katniss and Gale on the couch.

"Fine. But I'll stay here and I'll make sure you guys won't be kissing anytime soon." She got this naughty smile playing over her lips.

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><p>End of Chapter 9! I'll deal with Haymitch on the next chapter. I just want to show a little of the bond between Gale and Annie in this chapter. Please do read and review. Thank you ^_^<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**The Choices We Made**

**Summary:**The war changed all the people of Panem. Lovers to friends. Best friends to strangers. The rebellion left the surviving victors of the Hunger Games more broken and empty inside. It's now time to mend these broken souls.

**Disclaimer:** Hunger Games trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss, Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Annie with a little of Gale/Johanna ^_^

**Warnings:** Just a little violence and sexual themes ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten:<strong>

**Katniss' POV**

I open the door to the room Annie's staying in as quietly as I can. Relief washes over me upon seeing the dark haired woman sleeping soundly. Johanna is sleeping with her and Finn looks like he cannot be more comfortable than where he is now, secured in the arms of his two mothers. I close the door carefully before making my way down the stairs. The rain has stopped but from time to time it falls but not as heavily as it did before. Gale has also fallen asleep in my room. After Annie's fit, I feel really restless and no matter how comforting it is to be in Gale's arms I can't seem to put myself to sleep anymore.

I slip on my hunting jacket. It's just around 6:30 in the morning and I plan to check on Haymitch. _Haymitch_. I know I should have followed him last night. His injury might not be life threatening at all but it's still an injury and I doubt that he got it checked on last night.

I step outside of my house and the chilly morning air envelops me making me pull my jacket tighter around my body. I didn't bother to bring an umbrella with me. It doesn't look like it will rain again soon anyway and besides I will just be a few houses away. I started walking and as I get nearer and nearer to Peeta's house, my heartbeat quickens. I come into a halt directly in front of his door. My eyes look at the yellow primroses he had planted around his house. I'm not really sure if I can face him and talk to him now. Honestly I don't even know what I will say to him.

Surely I cannot tell him that everything is okay. This… This is just so complicated. For the past two years, we have become the anchor of each other. We have grown close again and he rarely had those 'attacks' during our time together. Right now I can't tell what his role in my life is for the past two years. He's not my lover. We shared a few kisses but that's just it. Nothing more happened. We were contented by just being the closest friend to each other.

I know he loves me that he cares for me deeply. And I also know another thing. I love him as well but it's not just the same kind of love I have for Gale. Peeta has been a very essential part of my life. I love him because of the kindness and the hope he had given me when he gave me those breads when we were kids. I know I cannot live if he died back then during the war. But even if he's so necessary in my life I simply cannot feel the fire I feel towards Gale when I'm with him. We are lacking the spark.

My feet move and I'm face to face with his front door. After several minutes of just standing there thinking if I should see him now or not, I decided to check on Haymitch first. I turn my back on his door and run towards Haymitch's house. I welcome myself into the house. It's not like Haymitch will mind if I just enter his domain. I'm not sure if I want to see him drunk right now but I guess the sight of him drunk is the best scenario I can walk in right now. I just hope he's alright.

I take a peek at the living area. I watch the flames at the fireplace for a moment. I actually expect Haymitch to be here. He always sits on his rocking chair in front of the fireplace with a bottle of liquor in hand but he's not here. Fear creeps in my heart but I know I should not let it get me. This is a victor's house. It's big. And it doesn't mean that something bad happened to Haymitch just because he's not in his usual place.

I turn to the stairs and make my way up silently. I don't even know why I'm acting like a thief considering the fact I'm trying to be as stealthy as I can. I lock my eyes on the door of Haymitch's room and am just about to turn the knob when a voice startles me.

"Katniss? What are you doing here this early in the morning?" I turn to see Peeta leaning on the doorframe of the room across Haymitch's. Blood rushes to my head and I cannot get a word out. What is Peeta doing here? By the looks of his bedhead and pajamas, he slept over here. But why? I thought he was in his house last night to tidy it up?

"Pe-Peeta!" He blinks at me before chuckling for some reason.

"Hey don't look so surprised. I helped Haymitch out to clean his place a little. I planned to tidy up my house originally but when I come here to check on him last night, the sight of his messed up place just made my body move and before I know it I'm cleaning" Peeta explains to me and all I can do is nod to show my understanding of the situation.

"Peeta… Haymitch is injured. He was bleeding last night." I search his blue eyes to see if he knows something about how Haymitch has gotten that injury. Peeta's face just seems to brighten up in recognition.

"He is. The old man cut himself on one of the broken glass shards of his liquor bottles when he slipped yesterday. I've treated it. You don't have to worry now. I know you wanted to follow him last night but it is all fine now." Peeta doesn't look like he is lying but I cannot seem to find myself convinced by his words.

"Is he in his room?" I ask and open the door of Haymitch's room before Peeta gives me an answer. Haymitch is there alright. He is snoring peacefully on his bed. His bandaged arm rests securely across his stomach. I notice that there are no bloodstains on the bandages and I guess that's a good thing. I hope his wound is healing well enough. A smile comes upon my lips the moment my eyes linger on the empty bottles of liquor scattered on the floor next to his bed. I move inside to pick the bottles up because I'm scared that Haymitch will trip on them and will cause himself more damage.

"It's quite deep. I think it just bled last night because he failed to treat it properly." I jump at the sound of Peeta's voice being so near me. I turn to look at him. I know I shouldn't be acting so awkward and nervous around him but I can't help it. There is something going on. There is something wrong! But I don't know how I will get it out of him.

"W-Well I guess that's just Haymitch's thing. He's become clumsier these days and I guess it's our job to watch over him more closely." I tell Peeta and he then smiles at me. I search his eyes again but nothing seems to be wrong. He's like his usual self. Maybe I'm just thinking about things too much. A familiar ache shoots into my head and my hand automatically touches my left temple. There's still a small scar there where Johanna hit me with the coil back in the 3rd Quarter Quell.

"Maybe we can get him a wife. I think that will make things brighter and easier for him." I grin at Peeta's idea. I notice Haymitch shifting a little on his bed.

"Get out of my room, you brats. It's not nice to hear you discussing things about me in my own room." My eyes widen. Haymitch is awake but when I look at him closely enough he pretends to be asleep. Peeta takes hold of my arm and drags me out of the room. My eyes look at his hands... his bandaged hands. I know he already explained yesterday what happened to him but it's just. The feeling that Haymicth and Peeta are hiding something from me bothers me to no end. But Peeta's actions seem to be fine. Am I really just thinking too much into this? The gentleness and warmth radiating off of Peeta make my worries evaporate at the moment. It makes me think that everything might be alright eventually. I guess I should just think about this less for the mean time.

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><p>We go into the kitchen. I place the empty bottles at the countertop and settle in one of the chairs in the dining room while Peeta works on some breakfast for the two of us. As my eyes watch Peeta's movements carefully I can't help it but to wonder what exactly he is to me now. During the war when he was still being held captive in the Capitol, I thought that I owed him more than my life and if he dies there I will not be able to live with that fact. I know I've driven Gale away at that time because no matter how much he tried to comfort me, I didn't… I couldn't let him in. I just felt like that as long as Peeta is not safe I won't… I can't let anyone in. Gale helped to rescue Peeta from the Capitol but then Peeta returned to me not being the same Peeta. I thought that at that time, I could finally let the baker go and give the hunter a chance. But Coin just had to send Peeta to the Capitol with us, endangering his life again making me have no choice but to struggle to keep him alive.<p>

"_Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without."_

I remember Gale's words back when we were hiding in Tigris' cellar. I thought I cannot survive without Peeta but after I realized that he is finally safe now that nothing can harm the man I owe my life to, my heart started yearning for Gale. Every single day without him made me realize how incomplete my life is without him. It is almost as if I'm just waiting for everything to settle down in order to pursue the life I had once with him. Now that Gale is within my reach again I don't think I will find any reasons to let him go. I think this is our chance. The Capitol took away everything we should have had but now we finally have the chance to set things right again. I know I will hurt Peeta but I… I can't love him back in the way he loves me. I will just hurt him more if I keep on pretending when there shouldn't be any more pretensions.

"Is Gale moving back here?" Peeta's sudden question snaps me out of my thoughts. He places a mug of hot chocolate in front of me before turning his attention back to the pancakes he's cooking at the moment.

"No… Not yet. He still has to finish some things," I reply.

"But… he will be returning right? Just not now… but soon." I want to see Peeta's face but I think it will be weird if I'll walk over to him just to see the emotions written on his face.

"Y-Yeah…" He looks at me and my hold on the mug tightens.

"Katniss… What… What are we?" My mouth hangs open. I try to find the right words to say but the hurt in Peeta's eyes makes all the things I want to say go back down my throat. "Was there even any _us_ before? What am I to you? Please don't tell me that you're just sticking around with me because you feel obligated to… or because you feel indebted to me…" Tears are hurting his blue eyes. I can see it; his pain. And my heart is being clenched painfully.

"P-Peeta… You are very important to me. I know you know that… I… I-I love you but it's… i-it's not just right. I don't… I c-can't seem to love you back in that way…" I stand up and walk over to Peeta. I quickly pull him in my embrace. I don't want to hurt him like this but he has to know.

"Katniss… I did everything for you. I laid down my life for you over and over… Haven't I done enough? I just want you to belong to me completely. You are all I have left." His arms move and encase me in a very tight embrace. It kind of hurts but I know I can't push him away.

"I… P-Peeta… I-I… I just c-can't… I love G-Ga–" Peeta grabs my shoulders and pushes me away before I can even finish saying Gale's name. I gasp upon seeing the anger in his eyes. My hands start to sweat and feel cold. I can't help it but to remember that time back at the infirmary in District 13 when he tried to kill me.

"Don't say it. I d-don't… I-I don't want to hear it. Do you understand?" He hisses and I swallow my words back with such difficulty. "Katniss… How selfish can you be?" I do not try to hide the hurt that flashes on my face when he said that. "I… I was prepared to die for you in that arena during the 3rd Quarter Quell. I… I fully accepted the fact that you do not love me at that time. I was ready to give you away… to let go of you… to give you the future you want." I watch him take a few deep breaths to calm himself. "It… I-It just didn't go according to plan… I know how much you fought to keep me alive and every time some shiny memory tried to take me away, you were always there. The first memory that I came to know that was real is that I love you. I thought you love me back. But now h-he's here again and you just throw away everything! Every single fucking thing!"

Tears roll down my cheeks and I can feel how much Peeta is struggling to keep his hold on me loose enough in order not to hurt me. I try my best not to look in his eyes but I can't seem to maintain that.

"Don't you remember?" I stiffen somehow knowing what he will say next. "Or are you so blinded by your love you refuse to acknowledge the fact that he played a part in Prim's death?" Anger surges through me. I can't believe Peeta would say such things. "He killed your sister! H-He… He could have killed you as well back there at the City Circle if it wasn't for me!" Before I realize what my hand is doing… I have slapped him hard.

"He… H-He didn't want that!" I free myself from his grasp and move to get out of the house but he grabs me by the arm. He pulls me hard so I will face him. I wipe my tears away with my free hand. "I tried to hate him… to feel any anger towards him but I find nothing! Yes! I know he committed terrible mistakes! He committed crimes! He's a killer, a murderer! He's heartless! Label him all you want! But it's not just him! Not just him!" I pound my fists hard on Peeta's chest. I hate the fact that he said such a cruel thing about Gale.

"I-It's not just him, Peeta! We are killers too in case you have forgotten! We've done our own share of terrible mistakes! You don't have any right to accuse him like this!" I can't really tell where all this anger towards Peeta is coming from. I can't even believe that I can shout at him like this. He just stands there. Shock is written all over his face but more pain fills his features. Gale. It's just I know… how much he tried to stay away. Even if it was very hard and painful for him he stayed away thinking it will be good for me. He's always been looking out for me, watching my back, doing things that he thinks will be best for me. This anger I'm feeling towards Peeta because of his hateful words directed at Gale… I think now that it's… it's rooted to the fact that I love Gale and people do not want others badmouthing the people they love.

"P-Peeta…" I start again in a calmer voice. "I tried to be contented with the fact he has a new life but I started to long for him. I keep on longing for him. I think about him every day! I.. I just can't hate him… I-I love him…" My head is starting to spin. I don't want to continue this talk like this. It's just too much. Did Gale feel and think the same way when I was with Peeta back then? I know he disliked Peeta. But he admitted he could not hate him at all and he never said something bad about Peeta.

"I-I… I'm sorry…" The defeated tone in Peeta's voice made me look up at him. His hold on my arm slackens before he completely lets go of me. "Go now, Katniss." He turns his back on me and I want to approach him. We just stand there for who knows how long before I find enough strength to drag myself out of Haymitch's house. I get back at my place to find that everyone is still sleeping. I'm glad no one is awake yet. So I just sit there on the couch with my face buried in my hands and try to think things over.

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><p>Later in the afternoon, Johanna asks if Peeta won't be coming over my house today. I just tell her that he must have gotten his hands full on cleaning up his place. I just know that Peeta and I won't be seeing each other nor talking to each other for a while. As for Annie, she seems to be normal for the whole day. She apologized to us about what happened last night and then thanked as for being her anchors to reality. I'm glad she's fine now. It started raining again sometime after lunch and I find myself doing nothing while Johanna and Annie enjoy teaching little Finn small words. So now I'm in the study room trying to enjoy reading some book. I used to avoid this room because of the rose President Snow left here once but he's gone now and I'm over that fear of mine.<p>

The door creaks open. My back is turned against it so I cannot see who just entered the room but judging this person's quiet steps, it's none other than Gale. I pretend not to notice him until he leans down; placing both of his hands on the arms of the chair I'm sitting on. I can feel his breath against the side of my face and it actually tickles me so a smile blooms on my face.

"I thought you are pretending not to notice me," he whispers hotly on my ear before he places a kiss on the crook of my neck. I might have acted funny but I giggled like a little school girl when he did that. I turn my face so I can kiss him but he straightens himself up. His hands now resting at the back of my chair and when I look up at him, he's grinning down at me. I try to glare at him knowing that he pulled away on purpose. Okay I want to kiss him or I want him to kiss me but I won't play his games just for a kiss. I just know how much he's enjoying seeing me want him badly.

I turn my attention back on my book and pretend to get absorb into it, completely ignoring his presence. I don't know how long he's standing there before he placed that kiss on top of my head. I try not to look affected though. He kisses my temple that made me blink and I can almost feel the knowing smile on his face. He kisses my cheek then my jaw and that's it I turn my head to kiss him, this time he doesn't pull away. We kiss for quite a while before he pulls away.

"I'm sorry to have distracted you from your reading," he says a victorious smile plastered on his face and then he turns to leave. I know he's just playing with me. He just wants me to make him stay and as he takes a step away from me I grab onto his shirt. I see his gray eyes sparkle in a mischievous way when he turned back to face me. He walks to the front of my chair and then he lifts me off of it effortlessly. He takes a seat on the chair before he places me to sit comfortably on his lap. I just sit there awkwardly for a moment, blushing like crazy. He is just so warm and I can't help it but to feel a little too excited whenever he's pressed against me. He just watches and waits for me to curl into his body. I rest my back against his chest and his arms circle my body protectively. I then let myself get lost in his warmth and scent. "Do you like your new chair?" I take note of the playful tone in his voice. I look up to gaze into his beautiful gray eyes and smile.

"Yeah… This is so much better. I refuse to have it any other way now." Gale claims my lips in a passionate kiss and it doesn't take long before I drop my book, shift in his arms, and pour my love out for him for every kisses we share. I know he'll start asking about Peeta later but for now I can worry about nothing since I'm enjoying every second I spend now being in his arms.

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><p>End of Chapter 10~ Sorry if I've taken a while to update this I have things to do at the university for the past days so that's just it. I'll be updating my other stories soon ^_^<p> 


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